


Made to Be Broken

by finn_macuncool



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Also Ganondorf is actually a nice guy here, Arranged Marriage, Blood and Injury, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, Possession, Scars, basically canon is just here for setting, some OC’s
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finn_macuncool/pseuds/finn_macuncool
Summary: It’s been thousands of years since the last holder of the triforce lived, at this point it’s mostly seen as just a legend. So the King of Hyrule believes the best way for Zelda to help her kingdom is to marry well. He decides to throw a masquerade ball with many potential suitors, but Zelda is determined to make this as difficult as possible out of spite. Link finds himself being a little too brave, but it’s just one night right?
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 85
Kudos: 167





	1. Your Name

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chapter fic! I’m real excited to share it with y’all! Also if you like it come yell at me @breathoftheweath on tumblr!

Zelda was bored out of her mind. 

She had just turned 18, which was the traditional age to start courting. To mark this momentous stage in her life, her father decided to throw a huge ball with all her potential suitors. She knew their type: sons of drab nobles, posturing like roosters in a yard, vying for the golden opportunity of becoming royalty. Goddesses know they couldn’t possibly achieve anything on their own merit. So they thought they would take the easy way out and try to woo the princess. What they didn’t know was that she would make this the most difficult challenge of their lives, Hylia so help her. 

She did manage to convince her father that a masquerade ball would be the best course of action, reasoning that the anonymity would help level the playing field. What she really wanted was some form of entertainment to distract her from the absolute snooze-fest she anticipated the ball to be. 

And yet, even with all these measures, she had to stifle a yawn. Some melodramatic string-heavy music droned on from the orchestra, somehow melting into the background while also clogging up her senses. Maybe if she stuck to the edges of the ballroom, she could sneak out to her study, where her elixir research was tantalizingly waiting for her – 

“May I have this dance?” 

Damn it. When had the music changed? Did it even change? Zelda couldn’t even keep track anymore. She looked up at the voice and saw the tallest, gangliest Hylian she had ever seen. 

“Not right now Hugh, can’t you tell I’m trying to astral project into a more interesting place?” 

“Aww how could you tell it was me?” 

“I’ve known you since I was three Hugh. Also I could feel your shade from 6 feet away.” 

“Oh come on Zelda, I’m not that tall.” 

“That’s Princess Zelda to you.” 

“You know that’s not necessary Zelda; just like you said, we’ve known each other since we were three.”

She cracked a smile. Hugh was as awkward as a newborn foal, and an easy target for her sarcasm, but his familiarity was welcome at this moment. 

“So anyways, about that dance...”

“Sure, why not.” 

She clasped his hand and shoulder, and he hesitated for a second before stiffly placing a hand on her waist. He must have been thankful for the black and blue mask covering half of his face, for he surely was as red as a tomato underneath it. Zelda reveled in the embarrassment she was causing him. Hugh was never really a serious courting option, he was too much of a brother to her. Though it was real fun to watch him squirm. 

“Uhhh... you look...nice...”

“You know you don’t have to pretend when you’re just with me.”

The red of his face managed to creep out past his mask this time. 

“I- whatever could- I don’t know-“ he sputtered. 

“There’s a lot of cute guys here that I’ve danced with tonight. I could put in a good word with them for you.”

“Zelda!” 

She laughed, having fun for the first time that night. All of her teasing was in good faith, knowing he would do the same to her given the chance. Abruptly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. 

“May I cut in?” 

She looked up, surprised to see someone even taller than Hugh. He was at least a good foot taller than her, with a dark complexion and thick red hair tied into a flowing ponytail. He wore an intricately crafted gold mask with inlaid emeralds, warm brown eyes peering through the eye holes. He flashed her a bright smile. This could be interesting. 

“You may.” 

Hugh just stared for a moment, mouth slightly agape. 

“I’m sorry my good sir, but seeing the absolute vision that her highness is tonight, I couldn’t help but have a dance with her. I hope you understand,” he said as he clapped Hugh’s shoulder, who slightly squeaked at the touch. Zelda rolled her eyes and smiled; that man was hopeless. 

Leaving Hugh to finish processing what just happened, the tall red-haired man swept her into an elegant spin. 

“So, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the likes of you around here,” she inquired, poking around for more information on this handsome stranger. 

“This is my first time at the Castle, I spend most of my time in Gerudo,” he answered, his voice ever so slightly accented. 

“Ah, I figured,” she said, eyes sweeping over his tanned, muscular physique. He wore a beautifully patterned black tunic with a red robe over it, tied with golden sash around his waist. “What I’m curious about is why you chose to wear traditionally Hylian clothes.” 

He laughed, a deep rumbling sound like an earthquake. 

“I like to honor the traditions of the country that I’m visiting, I feel like it’s only polite. Though I do have to admit,” he raised his right arm to show a small tear in the shoulder seam, “it was quite difficult finding clothes that fit me.” 

Now it was her turn to laugh. She had to admit, he was charming. 

“Well next time you decide to visit feel free to wear your usual Gerudo clothes, we wouldn’t want your pants to rip when greeting the King.” 

“Next time? I like the sound of that,” he smiled so wide it was infectious. Zelda figured this ball maybe wasn’t half so bad. 

Suddenly, he winced and touched the back of his neck. 

“What’s wrong? Is the fabric itching you?” Zelda teased. 

He didn’t smile back this time. Instead, his brows furrowed, and he stared at his hand as he flexed his fingers. 

“I’m sorry Princess, but I will have to leave your presence for now. It was a joy meeting you, and I hope to see more of you in the future.” And with that, he hurried away. 

Huh. That was weird. Zelda couldn’t help but feel a little dejected, the first interesting man she’s met all night and he suddenly rushes off without even giving her his name. At least she knew he was from Gerudo, she could probably ask her father who he invited from there. But no matter how charming he was, he would have to try harder than that to get her approval, especially after the disappearing act he pulled tonight. 

She sighed. She was bored again. And damn it that awful music really never stops does it. 

————

It had been a couple hours since the mysterious Gerudo man had left her, and Zelda had yet to find another interesting person to talk to. Even Hugh was busy flirting with some random nobleman’s son. Maybe she should try escaping to her study again. She started edging along the wall, hoping to look inconspicuous, even in her extravagant navy blue ball gown and feathery white mask. No princess here, no siree. 

“Hey! Hey Princess Zel -*hiccup* - Zirda!” 

She inwardly groaned. She did not have the patience to deal with Lord Herschel’s drunken ass right now. At every ball he managed to drink himself silly and make a fool of himself, blabbering on about the one battle he was in. He didn’t even do anything in that battle, it was won due to Captain Garrett’s tactical genius. 

“Why Princess Zirda, you look stunning tonight!” 

“Zelda,” she snapped. 

“Yes yes, that’s what I said Zirda.” She rolled her eyes. She should’ve just acted like she didn’t hear him, but it was too late now. She settled in, ready to zone out for an hour while he went on about his battle history. 

“Princess Zirda, as you know I once fought in the historic Battle of Faron - “ ugh here we go. 

“And the land there is absolutely gorgeous! But not nearly as gorgeous as you are tonight.” 

Huh. That was different.

“And I hear you just turned 18?” 

Hmm. Don’t like that. 

Before she knew it he had his arm on the wall next to her, effectively trapping her in. He leaned in closer, his hot breath thick with the scent of alcohol. 

“May I perhaps throw my hat in the ring?” 

Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. She looked around, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. Not seeing a way out, she clenched her fist, ready to uppercut this asshole if he didn’t step away in five seconds. 

“Princess Zelda,” a gruff voice interjected sharply. She peeked over Lord Herschel’s shoulder and saw a short Hylian in a Royal Guard’s uniform. Oh thank the goddesses.

“We have urgent news that require your assistance immediately.” 

“Yes sir, I’ll be right there.” She turned to Lord Herschel, discreetly elbowing him in the side to make an opening for her. 

The guard grasped her hand and pulled her away, briskly striding through the crowd. He went fast for someone so short, she almost struggled to keep up. When they made it to an outdoor balcony the guard finally stopped and turned to face her. 

“So what is it that you needed to tell me, sir?” Zelda inquired.

“Oh nothing, I just figured you needed an out to that situation,” he smiled wickedly, his voice noticeably softer now. She was somewhat taken aback; the nerve this guy had to be so nonchalant about what just happened. 

“Well, thank you, I guess,” she said begrudgingly. “But I had it handled.” 

“Oh I’m sure you did, I saw your clenched fist. By the way, if you want an effective punch you have to keep your thumb outside your fist, otherwise you might end up hurting yourself more than your target,” he prattled on matter-of-factly. 

She glared at him, and took a moment to assess who this snarky guard was. He wore a red and blue mask, the same that all the guards were wearing that night (she mentally kicked herself for asking that everyone, including the guards, participate in the masquerade). His beret sat snugly on his head, covering the majority of his hair, except for a few dark gold strands that managed to peek out. What really stood out though were his striking blue eyes. She lost her train of thought as she stared into those intense eyes. 

He coughed. “Well Princess, if you like, I can escort you back to the ball now. I’ve already notified the other guards to dispose of Lord Herschel.” 

“Oh Goddesses don’t make me go back in there, I’m already losing my mind with boredom,” she groaned. 

“Oh.” He looked around awkwardly, not quite sure what to do next. The night air felt rather nice compared to the stuffy ballroom, so Zelda came up with an idea. 

“How about you escort me down to the gardens?” 

He gave her a small smile. “It would be my pleasure.” 

———

They spent the next couple hours just lazily walking around the gardens, Zelda pointing out different plants and listing off their properties, the guard listening intently. She was surprisingly relaxed, and enjoyed the quiet company of the guard. He didn’t seem to expect much from her, and he definitely was not trying to impress her with pompous stories. He just listened to her. 

“And that purple plant there is amaranthe, it has great medicinal properties and can be used to make elixirs. I’m not quite sure what the best combination of monster parts for it is yet, but my research is getting more conclusive each day.” 

“Tell me more about your research.” 

She was taken aback. Nobody had ever asked about her research. They were usually unwilling participants in her occasional lectures on a whim. It took her a second to think of a concise explanation of her research. 

“Well you see, in everyday life we have multiple setbacks due to the limitations of our own bodies. Imagine what we could achieve if we could temporarily move faster, be stronger, or withstand extreme temperatures. We could get so much done as a society and as individuals. And all we need to do is combine something natural (such as plants and creatures) with something unnatural (monster parts) to create elixirs. We have the tools at our disposal, so why shouldn’t we use them to make something extraordinary?” 

She realized she had gotten ahead of herself there, and was starting to ramble. “At least, that’s just some of my thoughts. They’re not that important.” 

“Of course they’re important.” She turned to him in surprise.

“Princess, you’re incredibly smart and obviously care about your people. Don’t downplay your thoughts. Anyone would be lucky to hear them.”

She blushed. How did he manage to get to her like that? It was so simple, so direct - most people wouldn’t dare to be so candid with the princess. But she really appreciated the validation he gave to her interests. 

“Well, my father would say otherwise. He thinks it’s just a silly distraction, that I should focus more on learning to run the country. And by that he means marry the right nobleman’s son,” she sighed, remembering why she was out here in the first place. 

“I should probably go back there now, they’re going to wonder where I’ve been all this time. And I need to be there to give a closing speech soon. At least tonight is almost over.” 

“Before you go, I’d like to let you know, that I think you’ll be an amazing queen. Whether or not you marry well. You care about the well-being of your people, and that’s all that matters,” he said softly, sincerely. 

She stared at him, her eyes pricking dangerously. No, it wouldn’t do for the princess to cry in front of a guard, no matter how much his words of affirmation affected her. 

“What’s your name? You’ve helped me so much tonight, I want to give commendations to your commanding officer.”

“Oh you don’t need to do that, helping you is a reward enough.” 

“Come on, there has to be some way I can reward you for your service.” 

He paused for a moment, thinking. Then, he stepped closer, until there was barely an inch between them. He cupped her cheek with a gloved hand, and leaned in, lightly kissing her other cheek. He brushed a stray hair behind her ear, and gazed softly into her eyes. She blushed, once again. Goddesses, he needs to stop doing that to her. Then he stepped away, a small, sad smile on his face. 

“That’s more than enough of a reward for me.” And then he melted into the shadows, leaving Zelda alone. She brushed her cheek, the warmth of his kiss still lingering there. 

And for the second time that night, she had not received the name of a handsome young man. This really needs to stop happening to her.


	2. Have We Met?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wanted to update on Wednesdays but I got too excited lmao. This chapter is shorter anyway, whereas chapter 3 is BEEFY. Hope y’all like it!

_Shit shit shit shit that was a massively stupid idea what was he thinking oh goddesses he’s so dead._

Link yanked at his earrings as he nervously paced outside the entrance to the ballroom, his face burning red hot.

_It’s alright, it’s not like he fully made out with her. It was just a small cheek kiss, it could even be seen as chivalrous._

He tried to reason with himself, but that fucker was a world-class debater.

_Yeah but she’s not just some random palace girl, she’s the Princess. If the king ever found out some random bastard son even so much as laid a finger on her he would have his head._

He tugged harder on his earring, pacing faster.

_Okay, but she doesn’t even know his name. And he wore a mask, so she doesn’t even know what the entirety of his face looked like. Besides, it’s not like he was ever gonna see her again. She was gonna be married off to some nobleman’s son, and he would continue his military career. Who knows, maybe he’d die in battle and not have to worry about any of this again._

His rapid pacing slowed down to a stop, and he finally managed to take a deep breath. The thought of never seeing the Princess again calmed his nerves, but it was also twinged with sadness. Everything had been so easy with her. He could listen to her talk about theories and plant properties all day. Her smile was as bright as the sun, and causing her to smile was what he considered to be his greatest achievement. As nervous as he was about the whole ordeal, he couldn’t really say he regretted it.

Taking a steadying breath, he squared his shoulders and made his way over to the other guards, who were ushering guests outside as the ball wound down to a close.

_Well, at least he had his fun, and things would go back to normal tomorrow._

—————

Zelda wondered why her father had called her into the throne room this afternoon. She had done her studies diligently today, so he couldn’t be scolding her. Unless he realized that she had abandoned the ball for two hours last night, but she figured he would’ve scolded her about that last night if he was upset about it. He wasn’t one to take his time in reprimanding her.

What she was not expecting when she walked into the throne room was to see the tall Gerudo man she had danced with last night. Well that made her life easier. She wouldn’t have to ask her father about the guest list and give him the satisfaction that she might be interested in someone.

This time he had ditched the tight Hylian clothes in favor of loose flowing traditional Gerudo clothes. For modesty’s sake he kept the red robe from last night, covering the majority of his bare chest. Now maskless, she could really appreciate his sharp cheekbones and beautiful brown eyes lined with a dark kohl. He struck a wonderful balance of curves and hard edges, masculine and feminine. He beamed at her with what she now assumed to be his signature smile.

“Princess Zelda! So glad to see you again so soon! I took your advice and wore comfier clothes this time,” he excitedly told her, doing a little spin to show off his elegant attire.

He was such a dork, she could almost forgive him for ditching her last night. Almost.

“You never told me your name,” she accused him.

“His name is Prince Ganondorf,” the King interjected in his booming voice. “And he is your betrothed.”

“Excuse me?!?” Zelda exclaimed, shocked by the sudden news. “What do you mean he’s my betrothed? I had only one dance with him last night!”

“Gerudo and Hyrule have had tense relations in the past. I figured a marriage between the royal families would help with our relations in the future.”

“What was the point of the ball last night then, if you already had a suitor in mind? I thought I had a choice in this matter!” Her voice rose dangerously, threatening to crack.

“I wanted to give you two a chance to meet in a more relaxed environment, so that you would be more open to the idea of the betrothal. I don’t want you to feel like this is something you’re being forced into.”

“Well I do feel like I’m being forced into this! How could you do this to me, Father?!?” Zelda screamed. She could not hold back the feeling of betrayal in her voice.

“Zelda, that’s enough!!!” The King roared. Prince Ganondorf stood awkwardly between the two, hands clasped behind his back, not quite sure what to do. He stared directly ahead to avoid eye contact with either of them, staying out of the line of fire.

The King sighed, and spoke again, much softer this time. “Zelda, this is not a death sentence. Prince Ganondorf is a kind gentleman who has been civil about this the whole time, I expect you to return the favor. Besides, it will be a year before you get married. During that time he will be officially courting you, and you will have time to get to know him better. And if for whatever reason it seems like he isn’t a good fit for you, I will consider a different suitor for you.”

Zelda felt a little bit more reassured after that. She could still get out of this it seemed.

“But please, Zelda,” the King implored. “Please consider your duty to the kingdom, and don’t be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn.” The King’s eyes softened as he continued. “Your mother would be so proud of the beautiful and capable young woman you’ve become.”

Ah, there it was. The guilt trip. Nothing quite like bringing up her dead mother to get her to do what he wants. She sighed resignedly.

“Okay. I’ll do it. For my kingdom, and for Mother.” _But not for you_ , the phrase hung silently in the air between them, understood without having to be spoken.

“And one more thing,” he added. What else could he possibly want from her now? Didn’t she already promise her life away?

“Since you’ll be traveling between the two kingdoms often, I’ve assigned you a personal knight. Sir Link, you may enter.”

Zelda turned to see a royal knight stride into the throne room, kneeling deferentially as soon as he was five feet away from her. His face was obscured by his shaggy dark blonde hair that was loosely tied into a low ponytail.

“He will escort you on all missions outside the castle, and will also act as a chaperone during your courting with the Prince.” He turned to Prince Ganondorf apologetically. “I hope you don’t take offense at this your Highness. I’m sure you would never let harm befall the Princess, but considering that the both of you are so high-profile, there is a chance at assassination or kidnapping attempts. There are many who would not wish to see Gerudo and Hyrule in good terms.”

“It is not a problem your Grace, I fully understand,” Prince Ganondorf reassured.

“Father, how do you expect me to grow close with the Prince if there’s another set of eyes constantly watching us?” Zelda interjected.

“Never worry my dear child, you’ll soon find out that he’s very adept at escaping notice.” He chuckled at that. “Anyways, that is all I wanted to tell you, Zelda. You may do whatever you like while the Prince and I negotiate treaty terms. If you want, you can get acquainted with your new knight. I’ll see you later tonight for dinner.”

_Finally_ , Zelda thought. Now she could go back to her reading undisturbed. She started to stalk out of the room when she noticed that the knight was still kneeling.

“You may rise,” she ordered dryly. The knight stiffly stood up, and she got a better look at his face. He was surprisingly young, a startling contrast from the usual grizzled military men that managed to become knights. Despite his age, he already had a large scar running from just below his right eye up to his hairline. He had incredibly blue eyes, which were set in an unreadable expression. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had met him before.

“You look familiar, have we met?” she asked.

His expression changed for a split second - was it a look of panic? - before settling back into its impassive state. He spoke in a low voice.

“You’re probably thinking of my father, Captain Garrett.”

_The_ Captain Garrett? She didn’t know he had a son. Though now that she thought about it, he did bear a striking resemblance. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

_Oh, no wonder he’s her personal knight. Good ol’ daddy must’ve put in a good word for him._

“Ugh, whatever. Just, stay out of my way, okay?”

And with that she stormed off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link used all of his Cool Points ™ in the one moment in chapter 1, now he’s just a Nervous Wreck ™ lmao


	3. In Earnest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS WEDNESDAY MY DUDES!! aaaaaAAAAHHH  
> Anyway here’s that beefy chapter as promised, I really liked writing this one so I hope you guys enjoy reading it!

Zelda was not quite sure what to do about her new shadow. 

Her usual routine was already so packed to begin with. She would wake up, have a handmaid help her get dressed, and eat a light breakfast of tea and toast. Then she would go to her history lessons, followed by her math, science, music, and diplomacy lessons. She would have about half an hour for lunch with castle attendants, then continue with horse-back riding, foreign languages, religion, and finally needlepoint. After that she would have about two to three hours to herself before she had to have dinner with her father and then get ready for bed. She cherished those few hours to herself, where she could do as much reading and research as her heart desired. It was also the only time she could be alone with her thoughts, free of outside judgement. 

But now she couldn’t even have that. Now whenever Zelda went on field missions she would have to suffer the ever watchful gaze of her knight attendant. She couldn’t concentrate when she always felt a pair of eyes boring into her back. Her father said he was adept at avoiding notice, but all she could do was notice his presence. Maybe if she hummed to herself she could distract herself for long enough..?

Footsteps just got closer to her. She sighed, exasperated. 

“Would you mind giving me some space?” she snapped. There was silence, but no sign of him moving. Irritated, she turned to face him, and saw his head slightly cocked to the side, a confused look on his face. What audacity he had to look like a kicked puppy simply because she wanted space. 

Well, if he wasn’t going to back away she might as well put him to good use. 

“What do you know about hot-footed frogs?” 

Silence. 

“Ummm, do you know where to find them and how to catch them?”

More silence, his face impassive, as always. Goddesses, he might as well have been a statue. She continued on.

“Well, they tend to congregate around bodies of water, especially ones with tall grass surrounding it. If we’re quiet enough, we could sneak up on them and catch one.”

He slightly quirked an eyebrow, as if to ask  _why in the world would you want to catch one?_

“ Hot-footed frogs are theorized to have ability-altering properties. I’m not sure which ones yet; maybe it could make you run faster, jump higher, or have more endurance. If I could catch one, then I could find out.”

He just stared at her, his expression unreadable. Was he judging her? Or did he just not care at all? Not knowing what he was thinking was one of the most frustrating things ever. 

“Come with me, there’s a pond near here that I’m sure is bounding with hot-footed frogs. You’re going to help me catch one.” 

Without waiting for him to respond (or stare blankly at her), she headed off into the forest. 

When they approached the pond, Zelda stopped, and slowly crouched down. She inched her way forward, trying to stifle the sound of her breathing as her eyes scanned the ground for any movement. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed her knight do the same. At least he could take some sort of hint it seemed. 

Aha! A flash of green and orange alerted her. The frog was sitting at the edge of the pond, calm as can be. Like a cat ready to pounce, she tensed, hands poised and ready for action. Just a little closer, and –

SPLASH! 

The frog hopped frantically into the water, and Zelda looked up to see who cost her her prize. Her knight was knee deep in the pond, trying to grab at the frogs in the water. She felt her face go red-hot in rage. 

“LINK!” she yelled, addressing him by name for the first time. He looked startled, and stared at her with wide eyes. 

“What are you doing??? Did you really think jumping in the water and making a huge ruckus would help you catch the frogs?? How stupid are you??” 

Link’s ears drooped, and he looked down in shame. Maybe she had gone too far. Zelda was frustrated, but she didn’t mean to make him feel that bad. She took a deep breath to help calm down. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to call you stupid. Here, we can try looking for frogs again. Let’s just try to be a bit quieter this time, okay?” 

He looked up at her and nodded, this time a look of determination on his face. They both went back to crouching down in the tall grass, silently searching for frogs. Right now Zelda really wished she could have some alone time, she didn’t like how she snapped at people when she got irritated. She looked up at Link and realized that for once his back was turned towards her. If she was quiet enough, maybe she could slip away...

Once she was far enough away she broke out into a sprint. The wind whipped around her, and her heart pumped with exhilaration. She had actually managed to escape her knight! She had never felt so free and alive before. Climbing up onto an overhanging rock, she flopped onto her back and let out a laugh. It felt so good just to feel the sun on her skin and hear the gentle sounds of the forest, without any prying eyes. 

She only had a few moments of peace until she heard footsteps running up to her. Sitting up and shading her eyes with a hand, she saw her knight approach her with a stern expression on his face, and a hot-footed frog in his hands. Somehow she couldn’t take his anger seriously when he was holding a squirming green frog, and she laughed loudly. He glared harder at her, only making her laugh more. 

“Thank you for the frog, it’ll help me greatly in my research,” she said after her laughter finally died down. She probably should feel bad for abandoning her knight, but she hadn’t felt so happy in a long time. And now that she had felt this way, she knew she couldn’t just let it go this easily. 

——————

It now became a game for Zelda to find ways to escape her knight, and for longer periods of time. 

She would find ways to distract him so that she could get a chance to slip away. After years of research nobody knew the ins and outs of Hyrule’s terrain like her.Her knight almost didn’t stand a chance. 

Except he was more clever than she had anticipated. Sometimes he would intentionally let her slip away just so that he could find her minutes later, a stupid smirk on his face. He seemed to be an expert tracker, finding her quickly even in the heaviest wooded areas. But this didn’t discourage Zelda, it just added an extra challenge to her game. She knew sooner or later she’d get her satisfaction of giving him a real slip. 

The moment finally came one day when they were riding in the Lanayru Wetlands. Everything was quiet besides the soft  _slosh_ of their horses hooves in the water. She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do here today, she just felt like going outside for a bit, and ended up here after riding aimlessly. Link was silent and stony-faced as usual, which for once she was grateful for. 

She took advantage of this quiet moment to examine his facial features in depth. He had a light dusting of freckles on his cheeks, something she had never noticed before. He also had extremely long and dark eyelashes, which she was slightly jealous of. Did he even appreciate that gift? Her gaze landed on his pair of blue earrings, and remembered that the royal guard who saved her from Lord Herschel had similar earrings. Maybe it was a military thing? Maybe it showed status? Many nobles will serve some time in the military, so maybe that royal guard had some sort of title...

Link had noticed her staring and shot her a puzzling look. Shit, she had to think of something fast, she didn’t want to seem weird for just staring at him –

“How’d you get your scar?” she blurted out. 

“You’re going to have to be more specific, Your Highness.” She had half-expected him to not respond, so she was surprised to hear him speak for the first time in weeks. 

“The one on your face,” she said, running her index finger from below her right eye to her hair line. 

“Oh.” He looked away, shielding her from seeing any facial expressions. “I don’t want to talk about that.” 

“Okay.” Now the silence between them was laden with an awkward tension.  _That was a stupid question_ ,  she thought. Now any chance of getting her knight to speak to her was probably gone.

The tension was broken when their horses suddenly started acting uneasy. Before they knew it, three lizalfos appeared, shrieking at them with their weapons drawn. Link vaulted off his horse, charging at them with his sword. Zelda watched as he quickly offed each one of them. Then, inspiration struck her. 

They obviously weren’t in danger, and Link was currently not on his horse. If she acted fast, she could make it back to the castle before him, and once she was inside the castle walls he didn’t need to follow her anymore. Seeing her chance, she took action. 

“Hyah!” she yelled, spurring her horse into a gallop. Link looked up, and she swore she heard him curse as he scrambled toward his horse. She veered toward a hill, knowing it would give her cover while she took an alternate path back to the castle. She could hear Link hot on her heels.

There was an alcove covered in vines up ahead to the right. She slowed down and ducked into it, hoping the vines would be enough to cover the bright white of her horse’s coat. Hearing Link skid to stop outside the alcove, she held her breath and prayed the grass didn’t show any hoof prints. He let out an exasperated grunt and continued racing down the path. Waiting until she couldn’t hear him anymore, she let out her breath and chuckled to herself. She had outsmarted him at last. He was currently taking the longest path to the castle, and having shaken him she could now take the short cut. 

She galloped across Hyrule Field, loving the feeling of the wind in her hair and savoring this moment of freedom. When she made it to the moat bridge, she slowed to a trot and jauntily saluted the guards, who seemed confused that she was alone. 

After returning her horse to the stable, she thought about what she should do with her new free time. She decided she could pay someone a visit. 

Zelda made her way to the gardens, everything awash in gold with the setting sun. With a practiced step, she found the hidden clearing behind some pink trees. Silent Princesses grew abound here, surrounding the granite slab with the crest of Hyrule carved on top of it. She knelt down in front of it, and gently bowed her head. 

“Hello Mother, how are you doing?”

The soft sound of birds filled the air where no reply would ever come. 

“I miss you. Did you know that Father already found someone for me to marry? I know right, I barely turned 18 and he’s already sold me off to the highest bidder. Did you know he’s a prince? I thought I would have to marry some nobleman’s son but I guess I’m special enough to marry another royal. He’s very handsome, and seems nice enough, but I hate that I didn’t get a choice in the matter. Did you get a choice Mother? Did you choose Father out of love, or did your parents just think he was the best political match?” 

Her breath grew shallow as she continued on. 

“I only have one more year of freedom. And I don’t even get to enjoy it because Father also assigned me a knight attendant during this time. All of my time is accounted for by others, I never get to be alone!” 

Her voice shook as tears threatened to spill over. 

“ I really thought I would get time to learn about myself and my kingdom, but apparently I’m not worth anything if I’m not married.” She sniffed and swiped her hand over her eyes. 

“I know if you were still here you would stand up for me, tell Father he’s being ridiculous. But you’re not. Why did you have to die?” 

This time she let the tears fall freely. There was no one around to tell her that crying was unladylike, no one to call her childish for talking to her dead mother. She finally got to be alone. 

—————-

Link finally managed to make it back to the castle to find his commanding officer waiting there for him. 

_Shit._

He dismounted from his horse and saluted him. “Captain Norman.” 

“Sir Link.” He did not salute him back. 

“Reports tell me that the Princess returned to the castle alone. Would you care to explain how that happened?” 

“Lizalfos attacked, sir. I took care of them, but I’m assuming the Princess’s horse got spooked and went back to the castle.”

“Oh Sir Link, you know that lying doesn’t help you at all.” 

Link gulped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.” 

“I’ve heard from the other knights that the Princess has made a habit of escaping from you. This just so happens to be the most egregious offense. It seems you have been slacking off in the vigilance department.” 

Link showed no expression, nothing to give fuel to the Captain. 

“Meet me in the training yard in ten minutes. We need to work on your focus.” 

With that the Captain turned on his heel and walked away. Link allowed himself to slouch a little, and sighed. He knew what was coming up, and was not looking forward to it. Grabbing his horse’s reins, he made his way to the stable closest to the training grounds. 

On his way he past by a few groups of soldiers milling about, all giving him weird looks and whispering to each other. Link paid them no mind. He already knew what everybody thought about him, and he knew that they would always be too scared to say it to his face. Rumors had no power if the person they were about didn’t give a fuck. Oh, they thought that his dad was the only reason he had his position? Or that he never finished school and couldn’t actually read? Or that he was actually part wolf or something and that’s why he didn’t have a mom? Whatever, he knew he could knock them out with one punch if they ever tried to start trouble. And they knew it too, and that’s why it was never anything more than rumors. 

After untacking his horse and giving her a nice juicy apple to crunch on, he left the stable and headed over to the training grounds with leaden feet. Hylia, his day was bad enough, did he really have to do focus training? It’s not like it would really help, none of the soldiers were nearly as smart as the Princess (nor as beautiful, but he digressed). 

Captain Norman stood amongst a crowd of ten soldiers, arms crossed and face steely. Link neutralized his facial expressions to match. He dreaded the training but wouldn’t ever show it around the Captain, even if it was mostly out of spite. The Captain looked slightly annoyed that he didn’t get a reaction out of him. 

“Sir Link, as we have discussed prior, your attention skills are sorely lacking. In order to improve your ability to protect the Princess, we will commence focus training. As you see here, we have ten soldiers, all of them of varying size and weapon specialty. They’re at the top of their class in training, and have been told that if they manage to defeat you, they will be granted their knighthood without having to take the test. To make this a fair fight for them, they will all be attacking you at once.” 

_Hm, didn’t feel like much of a fair fight to him_ , Link thought, face remaining unnervingly still. 

“You will have your shield and sword, your wits, and your surroundings at your disposal. You have until sundown to defeat all of them.” He looked up at the sun as it was barely inching towards the horizon. This would be a while.

“If you do not lose your focus the entire duration of the training, this should be quite easy for you. We all know you’ve taken on worse opponents before.” Captain Norman smiled deviously. Link could feel everyone staring at his scar, feeling the tips of his ears grow warm. His brow furrowed slightly. 

“Good luck, soldiers. Give it your all.” Captain Norman then blew a whistle, signaling the start of training, and calmly walked off to the sidelines. The soldiers didn’t hesitate to charge in at full force. Their first mistake. 

Link quickly picked off the weaker ones first, thinning out their ranks so that they couldn’t overwhelm him by sheer numbers.They usually hid behind long range weapons like spears and halberds, knowing that if he got up close to them their combat skills would not be nearly enough. For the tougher ones he used his superior agility to dodge and jump off of walls, striking from above. Sometimes he stooped to some low-handed tactics, like slicing the ground with his sword so that dust would fly in their face, giving him an opening. It wasn’t quite fair, but if these soldiers were willing to cheat their way into knighthood, he could afford to play a little dirty. Besides, Captain Norman had said to make use of his surroundings, which he certainly did. 

The last opponent was a bit challenging, he had to admit. He was a big and tall fellow, very much like a Hinox. He wielded a huge claymore, which slowed him down but also increased his range, making it hard for Link to get close to him. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall. With a few well-timed parries, he managed to loosen his footing. Sprinting behind him, he kicked a barrel that hit him behind the knees, toppling him to the ground. Link slammed the pommel of his sword into his helmet, knocking him out cold. Straightening up, he glared in Captain Norman’s direction. The officer only looked slightly amused. 

“Well done, Sir Link. You’ve passed today’s training.”

“Today’s?” 

“Well yes. Did you really think this was going to be one and done? If we stopped now your attention skills would just slack off again. No, we’re going to do focus training once a week for the next three months to really instill it into you.” 

Link fought the rage that was bubbling up inside of him, knowing the Captain just wanted a reaction from him. He would not give it to him. 

After a duel of silent stares, the Captain finally backed down.

“You are dismissed,” he said with a lazy hand wave. Link stayed at attention until the Captain was out of sight, only then collapsing to the ground, breathing heavily. The training had drained every ounce of energy he had in him. 

Once he had finally caught his breath, he slowly walked over to the stables, letting himself into his horse’s stall. Technically his horse wasn’t actually his, she belonged to the military. But he was convinced she was his soulmate, his other half; everything was all right when he was with her. He gripped her black mane in his fist, burying his face into her warm neck. For a while he just stood there like that, hoping he would calm down. Instead, he felt himself growing a little bold. 

He gripped her mane tighter, with both hands now, and swung his leg over her bare back. Digging his heels into her side, he urged her forward, eyes fixed on the hills behind the castle. 

He galloped off into the sunset.

——————

“Lord Elias is probably the most boring person to grace this kingdom, his conversation was almost as dry as the cucco. Even his good looks can’t make up for how utterly dull he is,” Hugh rambled on. Zelda couldn’t bring herself to care about what he was saying. She wandered through the kitchen, looking for the best apology-dessert she could find. Her mind kept wandering to the look of shame Link had when she called him stupid a few weeks ago. She felt a pit in her stomach every time she thought about it, and figured she had to do something to make it right. She also wanted to thank him for catching the hot-footed frog, with which she was able to make a hastening elixir with. A nice dessert seemed like an appropriate gift ( ~~ and also bribe to get him to try out the elixir for her ~~ ).

“Do you know where Sir Link usually is when he’s off duty?” Zelda asked.

“Sir Link? Oh, that’s your new knight attendant, right? He’s kinda cute, when he doesn’t look like he wants to kill someone. Do you know if he’s a good kisser?” 

“Hugh!” 

“What?”

“You know I’m betrothed, right?” 

“Yeah, to Prince whatever his name is. He’s also very cute. How is it that you’re surrounded by so many good-looking guys, Zelda? It’s not fair.” 

“Just, answer my question.” 

Hugh thought for a moment. “He tends to hang out around the stable a lot. He seems to really like horses. And the horses like him back, surprisingly enough, considering he’s probably half-wolf or something.” 

“Sometimes I wish I understood what goes on in your mind, Hugh.” 

Finally Zelda settled on a slice of fruit cake, which she placed in a tin tied with a blue ribbon. Satisfied with the gift, she marched down to the stables alone. When she arrived, she heard the clanging of steel against steel ringing out from the training yard. She peeked out from behind a pillar to see what the commotion was about. 

In the middle of the yard was Link, surrounded by at least six soldiers. She watched in awe as he deftly took them down one by one, using his speed and surroundings to make up for his small stature. The intensity in which he struck down his opponents frightened her a little. She was so used to his quiet and reserved nature that she didn’t know how to feel about this newfound ferocity. She made a mental note to never get on his bad side. 

When he finally knocked out his last opponent, he planted the tip of his sword into the ground and stood at attention, like he was just guarding a door and hadn’t just taken down several foes. Zelda then saw who she recognized as Captain Norman approach Link, saying something that she couldn’t hear. She never liked Captain Norman, he was always too pompous, and she wondered how Link managed to keep a straight face around him. 

When the Captain left, Link suddenly collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving and shoulders shaking. Somehow seeing this moment of vulnerability surprised her more than his ferocity during training. He always came off as someone who was never bothered by anything, someone who could handle everything. 

When he made his way over to the stable Zelda suddenly scrambled for cover, not sure why she didn’t want him to see her right now. Hadn’t she come down here for the express purpose of speaking to him? It just felt like she wasn’t supposed to see his brief moment of weakness, like she was trespassing onto something private. 

She watched as he buried his face into his horse’s neck. He really did like horses, huh? For once Hugh was right about something. 

Then, he suddenly swung himself onto his horse, riding bareback. He urged his horse into a gallop, taking off past the training yard. Where in the world was he going? 

_ Well, if he got to follow her around all day, why couldn’t she follow him now? _

Determined, Zelda sprinted after him, following the hoof prints in the dust. 

Link finally came to a stop at the crest of a hill, surrounded by a copse of trees and shrubbery. Fireflies floated around lazily as the sun slipped over the horizon. Castle Town sprawled out beneath them, lights flickering out as people prepared for bed. He dismounted, walking to the center of the clearing before standing still. Zelda hid behind a tree, wondering what he was doing out here. 

Out of nowhere, he let out a voice-cracking, frustrated scream. Zelda was taken aback, she had never heard him speak above the volume of a librarian shushing patrons for being too loud. He kicked the soil beneath him, and continued to scream. He picked up a rock and chucked it as hard as he could. He punched and kicked a tree, causing the leaves to tremble. Breathing heavily, he finally fell to his knees, head in his hands. Muffled and barely audible, Zelda heard him say something that struck her to her core. 

“Why am I never good enough?” 

She felt her heart resonate with him at that moment. All of the judgement and expectations and disappointment from her father and the other members of the castle suddenly flooded her, overwhelming her senses. If she hadn’t been hiding at that moment she would’ve also screamed and punched a tree. Link wasn’t a statue or part wolf or anything other than just a regular person, a person with feelings very similar to her own. 

Tomorrow she would try to get to know him in earnest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Also I added the graphic depictions of violence tag bc honestly I’m not sure what would be considered graphic and I thought I would add it just in case. There is mention of blood in the next chapter so I don’t know if that qualifies or not. It’s mostly canon-typical violence, but I thought I’d just be safe


	4. You Are Not Stupid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Wednesday, another update. It seems longer chapters are becoming the norm ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ also mention of blood in this chapter (very brief but covering my bases).

Link was surprised when one morning Zelda showed up outside his quarters with a present and an apology for him. After being her knight for over a month he had learned that she was very obstinate and prideful. Having her suddenly show up at his door with a sincere apology and a gift blindsided him. Maybe she wanted something out of him? Well whatever it was, she had the right idea of bringing him cake. He was very easily bribed with food. 

From then on Zelda seemed to hate his guts less. She even tried to be friendly. He still kept the wall of professionalism between them, not wanting to get too close. _Sorry Zelda, but she would have to be at least a level ten friend before she unlocked his tragic backstory_. Also he couldn’t risk her finding out that he was the royal guard at the masquerade ball. He enjoyed having his head too much for that. 

But at least she seemed to have stopped trying to escape from him. That made his job easier, especially since his first escort to Gerudo Town was coming up. He didn’t want to have to worry about losing her in the desert where moldugas and the murderous Yiga Clan resided. If he dreaded focus training he didn’t want to think what would happen to him if the Princess was assassinated while under his watch. 

After a week of preparations it was finally time for Link to accompany Zelda on her first courting date with Prince Ganondorf. They were traveling light since they couldn’t take their horses past the canyon, but Zelda managed to pack some chilly elixirs to help with the heat. She also managed to pack some snacks, which helped distract them when they couldn’t think of anymore awkward small talk. Link didn’t feel obligated to talk when his mouth was full of baked apple. Zelda really thought of everything, huh? 

When they made it to the stable before the canyon, they took the time to rest up a little before their trek through the desert on foot. Awkwardly sitting a good five feet from each other, Link stared at the fire under the cooking pot while Zelda perused a book. 

_Had he been too quiet for too long? Should he say something now, or was it too late? What would he even say? What could he possibly talk about that the intelligent Princess didn’t already know?_

“Link, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Zelda interrupted his racing thoughts. Oh boy, what did she want to know? “Do your earrings have any special significance?” 

Huh, nobody really asked about his earrings before. “Not really, I just like them. Why do you want to know?” 

“Oh, I just once met a royal guard with a similar pair, and wanted to know if it was a status or rank thing.”

_ Uhhhhhhh _ \- “I guess it must be a trend now.”  _ Good save.  _

“Oh, okay.” She seemed dissatisfied by that answer. Link didn’t know why he kept talking. 

“My father doesn’t really like them, he thinks they’re too feminine and impractical. He says that they’re a disadvantage in battle, giving your opponent something to grab onto. I just tell him that nobody would be able to make it that close to me,” he laughed. “He said prideful thinking like that would be my downfall.” 

“Well that’s morbid.” 

“Yeah, that’s just the way he is. He didn’t make it to where he is by overlooking a strategy.” 

“I guess that’s true. But I don’t see why something being feminine would be a problem. Prince Ganondorf wears eyeliner and jewelry and he’s a powerful leader. While your father is a brilliant tactician, I think some of his beliefs might be a bit outdated, if you don’t mind me saying.” 

“I don’t mind.” Link was actually a bit appreciative that she defended him like that. He fiddled absentmindedly with his earring, a small smile spreading on his face. 

“Speaking of Prince Ganondorf, I’ve been doing my research on Gerudo. I want to be prepared so that I can leave a good impression, both of myself and of Hyrule.” She pulled a stack of cards out of her seemingly bottomless pack, and handed them over to Link. “Would you mind quizzing me to see how much I remember?” 

“Uhhhhh sure,” he said hesitatingly. Gingerly holding the cards in his slightly shaking hands, he took a deep breath and tried reading from them. 

“What’s.....what’s the...the...” He held the cards up closer to his face, hoping it would help clarify what was written on there. It did not. He tried to steady his voice as he continued. “What’s the m-main...imp..most import...” 

Zelda looked at him with concern. “Is everything alright?” 

“Yeah, everything is alright,” he lied. 

“Link...do you know how to read?” 

“Of course I know how to read!” he exclaimed defensively. Zelda looked a little taken aback by the sudden outburst. He looked down, his ears lowered and face burning red. “Despite what most people think, I do know how to read. It’s just...difficult. The words seem to shift and move around, and some letters are hard to distinguish from others, if that makes sense. I don’t know if I’m just stupid since the other kids didn’t seem to have this problem, but I do actually try to understand what I’m reading, even if it is hard.” 

Zelda scooted closer to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm. He tried not to think about that too much. She reached out and tipped his chin toward her so that he was facing her. He  _ definitely _ tried not to think about that too much. Looking him directly in the eyes, she said, “Link, you are not stupid. You’re just dyslexic, and that’s okay.” 

“Dyslexic?” 

“Yeah, it’s when your brain has difficulty interpreting written words, and it has no impact on your intelligence. Actually, I have something similar but with numbers instead of letters. I have trouble with mental math and figuring out patterns and distinguishing numbers from each other. I love science but the math side of it has always given me problems. Would you say I’m stupid just because my brain makes it difficult to interpret numbers?” 

“No, not at all, Princess! You’re the smartest person I know!” 

“Then don’t be so hard on yourself, Link. I can help you with some reading exercises if you would like, to make it easier for you.” 

“I would like that.” 

With that they were silent again, but this time it wasn’t awkward. There was comfort in knowing that they had similar challenges and that neither of them would judge each other. Maybe Zelda had managed to become a level two friend. 

“Anyways, if we’re going to make it to Gerudo Town on time today we should start heading out now,” Zelda announced as she stood up. Link had almost forgot why they were there. 

_Oh right. He had to escort her to her betrothed, a tall, handsome prince. Great._

_—————-_

When they finally made it to Gerudo Town, Prince Ganondorf was waiting for them, arms crossed over his chest and smile beaming. 

“Princess Zelda!” he exclaimed excitedly, swooping her up in a hug and twirling her around. “How long I’ve waited for you to grace my presence again! Are you ready for a day of sight-seeing and adventure?” 

Zelda blinked, not quite sure how to respond to that. From what she had been told the first courting date would be a formal one, meeting with important officials and building diplomatic ties. It was never like...an actual date. She grinned. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. 

Grabbing her by the hand, the Prince lead her into the stone-paved plaza. “Come, come, there is much that Gerudo has to offer!” 

Hand-in-hand, he showed her around the bustling city, casually greeting all the merchants and asking about their families. Some of them even joked with him, something that would be considered scandalous in Hyrule. Zelda was slightly envious of his relationship with his people. Her father kept her under lock and key in the castle, discouraging her from milling about Castle Town. Because of this she felt a disconnect from her people, not knowing what it was they needed most. She promised to herself that this would change once she became queen. 

They passed by a milliner’s shop and she couldn’t help but stop and stare at the gorgeously crafted clothes. She reached out in awe and touched the soft silk of an aquamarine and gold set. Prince Ganondorf must have seen how her eyes lit up when she saw it, for he turned to the merchant and asked how much it was. 

“500 rupees for the set.” 

“That’s it? My dear, these clothes are exquisite, you shouldn’t sell yourself short.” 

“Well Your Highness, my mother is usually the one who crafts the clothes, but she has fallen gravely ill. I try to make them as good as she does, but my skill is nowhere near hers. I don’t think it’s fair to charge our usual price for something of lesser quality.” 

“Nonsense,” the Prince chided her. “These clothes are wonderful, they even managed to capture the Princess of Hyrule’s attention. Here, take this,” he said, reaching into his purse to pull out 2,000 rupees. “For the skill you’ve shown, and to help your mother feel better.” 

Her eyes grew wide. “Your Highness! You couldn’t possibly mean this!” 

“Of course I do. Now, is there a changing room here? I’m sure the Princess would like to change out of her traveling clothes.” 

Zelda stood in awe at the interaction that had just happened. Prince Ganondorf hadn’t even thought twice before helping the merchant. He was so generous. Also he was right about her wanting to change, her travel clothes reeked of sweat and dust, and she was excited to try on the new clothes. Ducking behind a curtain, she stripped off her gross clothes and slipped on the cool silks, feeling instantly more refreshed. As good as the clothes felt though, she was a bit embarrassed when wearing them. She was not used to having so much skin exposed. Shyly she stepped out, eyes trained on her feet. 

“How do I look?” 

“Absolutely stunning.” 

She managed to tear her gaze from her feet to look at the Prince’s eyes, and saw a look of genuine admiration in his warm brown eyes. He wasn’t just trying to flatter her, he actually meant it. She looked away, unable to handle that intense look for too long. Over his shoulder she happened to see Link quickly look away, his face bright red. Ahh, that typical Hylian modesty. 

“Where to next?” Zelda asked the Prince playfully. His eyes gleamed. 

“I think you’re going to love this next part.” 

They made their way to the adobe palace in the center of the city. It towered high above the other buildings, simple yet striking. But instead of going inside, the Prince led her to a wall to the side. He smoothly scaled it, reaching a hand down to help her up. Confused, Zelda hesitated. He laughed. 

“It’s okay, Princess. I know it may seem unconventional, but I swear to you, it’ll be worth it.” 

Slowly she took his hand, and he deftly pulled her up. They did this routine several more times, the Prince climbing higher and lifting the Princess up with him. When they finally made it to the top of the palace, the red sunset had faded into an inky black night. The wind brought a slight chill, causing her to shiver. 

“I’m sorry Princess, are you cold? Here, take this.” He shed the flowing robe he was wearing, gently placing it on her shoulders. Luckily it was too dark for him to see her blush. She looked out over the city and gasped. It looked even more alive than during the day, warm lights flooding all the dark corners and festive music floating through the air. People danced in the streets, adorned in colorful silks and golden jewelry. Nobody seemed to have a care in the world. 

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. 

“That’s not even the best part. Look up.” 

She did, and what she saw completely took her breath away. The sky was afire with thousands of sparkling constellations, ribbons of pink and purple nebulas threading between them. The moon shined bright, much bigger than she had ever seen it before. She could make out all the details of its rugged surface, imperfectly perfect. She slowly turned around, trying to take it all in at once. The desert revealed the expanse of the world that she had never known existed. 

She heard a small cough and turned toward the sound, seeing Link stare at the sky with the same awe-struck wonder. Her father was right after all, he had managed to escape her notice this entire time. She also wondered how he had managed to scale the walls without help, considering he was shorter than her. That was just one more mystery to add to his ever-growing list. 

“Do you like it?” the Prince asked. 

Zelda turned to him, eyes wide. “I love it.” 

“I’m happy to hear that,” he said, pulling her close. They remained like that for a while, both gazing at the stars in comfortable silence, enveloped in each other’s arms. 

Suddenly his arms tensed for a moment, and he stepped back. Zelda was disappointed to be deprived of his heat, the cold wind filling the space between them. His eyes flashed with a look of pain before instantly smoothing back to his usual gentle expression. 

“Princess Zelda, I have one more thing to show you,” he said stiffly, overly formal. _Why was he acting so weird?_

“If you think the sky is beautiful here, wait until you see it while in the desert.” 

“Um, sure. But isn’t the desert a little dangerous at night?” 

“Would I ever do something that would endanger you, Princess of Hyrule?” 

“I guess not,” she mumbled, uncertain. 

“All those stories are just told to young children to keep them from wandering out late at night. They’re all just wives’ tales.” 

Zelda wasn’t sure how much she believed that, but the Prince had been so good to her until now, that she decided to squash the uneasy feeling she had in her stomach. Besides, Link would be there to protect them if anything happened. 

“Okay, lead the way then.” 

They trudged through the sand, the wind getting colder and colder.  _ The view better be worth it _ _,_ Zelda thought. 

As they approached some ancient columns, Zelda’s mood picked up a little. She had read about the rich ancient history of Gerudo, and was excited to see some of it up close in person. They walked silently together, in awe of the majestic ruins superimposed on the beautiful night sky. The Prince was right, it really was more stunning down in the desert. And the night felt incredibly peaceful, not a sign of danger anywhere. She started to feel a little bit silly about the concerns she had earlier. 

They stopped at a giant cracked slab covered in ancient writing. Zelda squinted, running her hands over the carvings, trying to decipher what it said. Something about a prophecy? One word looked like Triforce, but it was hard to tell with the weathered surface obscuring the letters. As she tried to translate the words, she felt the wind pick up even stronger, flinging bits of stinging sand at her ankles.

“Uh oh. We should get out of here,” Prince Ganondorf said, voice filled with concern. It was noticeably less stiff and formal than it had sounded a little while ago. 

She turned to him to question why, but saw the reason for herself. A huge sandstorm was beginning to develop, picking up more and more sand. The Prince grabbed her hand, pulling her along as he started to run. “Let’s go!” he shouted urgently. 

They ran, fighting through the deep sand as they tried to make it back to Gerudo Town before the storm caught up with them. She looked behind her, seeing the storm had doubled in size since she last saw it. She also noticed that someone was missing. 

Skidding to a stop, she frantically scanned the horizon for her knight. 

“What are you doing? We have to go now!”

“We can’t leave without Link!” 

“He’ll be fine!” 

“No!” she shouted, ripping her wrist from his grip. She ran back towards the storm. 

“Princess Zelda!” she heard the Prince call after her, but soon his voice was lost to the wind. Her vision blurred as the sand surrounded her. 

“Link! Link! Where are you?” she called out, her voice hoarse. 

A figure appeared before her. 

“Oh my goddesses Link, I was so worried! Come, we have to make it back to Gerudo Town.” 

The figure came closer. It was much taller than Link. Realizing her error, she started to run. The figure caught her by the arm, but she wrenched it out of their grip and kept running. Another figure appeared before her, and two more on either side of her. She stopped and backed away, bumping into someone else behind her. She was trapped. 

“Who are you? What do you want?” 

An evil laugh broke through the storm. 

“Just your life.” 

She was pushed to the ground, and through the sand she caught a glimpse of sharp metal coming towards her. Shielding her face with her arm, she braced for impact, cursing her stupidity for letting this happen, for not listening to her instincts. 

“HYEEAH!”  _ Thud thud clang. _

Zelda slowly lowered her arm, not sure what happened. Part of the sand storm cleared, revealing Link taking on two Yiga Clan scouts. They moved quickly, but he kept up, blocking their attacks. He shifted around, trying to find an opening. 

One of them noticed Zelda and sprinted towards her, blade raised. Link jumped in front of her, shielding her with his body. He raised his sword to attack, but he was too slow. The Yiga scout slashed at his sword arm, causing him to wince. Without skipping a beat, he just tossed his sword to his left hand and attacked, cutting down the Yiga scout. The last opponent turned and fled, not wishing to meet the same fate as his comrades. 

By now the sand storm had moved on. Breathing a deep sigh, Link sheathed his sword and turned towards her, eyes full of concern. 

“Are you all right, Your Highness?” 

“Yes, thanks to you.” 

After checking her for wounds, his look of concern turned into one of anger and betrayal.

“I thought you were done trying to run away from me. You could’ve been seriously hurt, or even killed.” 

Zelda grew indignant at that accusation. “I didn’t mean to get separated from you, I had even went back to find you!” 

“Really?” he said, eyes softening. 

“Princess Zelda!” 

Prince Ganondorf ran up to them, panting. 

“I’m so relieved you’re alright. I didn’t know what to do when you ran directly into that sand storm. Oh, and you found Sir Link, I’m so glad!”

He clapped his hands on Link’s shoulders, eliciting a sharp hiss. Confused, Prince Ganondorf took his hand away to see it covered in blood. 

“Oh no, Sir Link, you’re injured. We have to get you to a healer immediately.” He stooped down, preparing to scoop up Link, who just backed away awkwardly. 

“Oh no, please, that won’t be necessary,” he said, smiling weakly. 

“If you say so. Just let me know if you start feeling light-headed, alright?”

Link just nodded, clutching his right shoulder as they headed back to Gerudo Town. The silence was heavy between them. 

Zelda cleared her throat, breaking the quiet. “So Link, I didn’t know you were ambidextrous.” 

He looked at her, confused. “I mean I guess I just love who I love, but I don’t see how this connects to anything – “ 

“No, I mean you can use your left hand as well.”

“Oh,” he said quietly, a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, I trained with both hands because my father thought it would be best to cover all my bases. You know, ‘leave no disadvantages,’ as he always says.” 

“That’s some sound advice,” Prince Ganondorf chimed in, trying to be a part of the conversation. 

Link gave him a weird look - possibly one of suspicion? - but remained silent. Soon they approached the front entrance of Gerudo Town, where the Prince ordered the guards to take Link to the healer. Zelda felt a pang of guilt as he was rushed away, knowing his injury was her fault. She was reckless and didn’t think, causing her to get into trouble that he needed to save her from. 

The Prince laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, easing some of her worries. “Sir Link will be fine, we have the best healers in all of Hyrule.” 

“I just feel so guilty that he got hurt in the first place. If I hadn’t been so stupid and careless none of this would have happened,” she said, holding back tears.  _This was just another failure in the string of disappointments that was her life, wasn’t it?_

The Prince faced her, expression stern. “Don’t ever talk about yourself that way, Zelda. You are not stupid or careless, and none of this was your fault. A good leader doesn’t fixate on blame, but instead looks forward to what they can do now to help. Do you think worrying all night is going to help, or do you think getting a good night’s rest will help better?” 

_Damn it he was right. He better not make a habit of doing that._

“I’ll get some rest.” 

“I thought so.” 

As he lead her to the guest bedroom, Zelda felt her exhaustion finally catch up to her. She leaned into him as she walked, barely staying upright. She thanked Hylia when they finally made it to her room, flopping onto the luxurious bed. 

“I’m sorry for what happened tonight, I hope tomorrow will be better.”

“Iss alright, mthank you,” she mumbled, sinking into the mattress. The Prince gave her a gentle smile. 

“Sleep well, my desert flower,” he whispered, softly closing the door behind him. 

As she drifted off to sleep, she thought that even with everything that happened today, it was still the best day she’s had in years. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is MY self-indulgent fic and I get to choose which aspects of my personality i project onto the characters. But really dyslexia/dyscalculia gang rise up. Also I’m only slightly sorry for the ambidextrous joke lol.


	5. Even if it Killed Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh time for some plot finally 
> 
> Tw strangling

Sweat trickled down Link’s neck, slowly and irritatingly traversing down his spine, but he couldn’t do anything about it as he stood guard outside the Gerudo Councilroom. The light clothes he wore and the chilly elixir he drank kept him from completely dying in the heat, but it didn’t stop him from being uncomfortable. While he technically did not have to be on as high alert as he was, after what happened yesterday with the Yiga Clan he didn’t want to risk anything.

Their second day in Gerudo was much calmer than their first, with Zelda meeting officials to discuss diplomatic negotiations. This was Zelda’s bread and butter; she could talk trade routes and taxes and infrastructure all day long, backing up each point with well-researched notes. But as for Link, he couldn’t concentrate on such minutiae. His focus came from action, not discussion. He was grateful he did not have to listen to all the legal jargon, but he couldn’t exactly say he was enjoying himself out here either. There was nothing to do but stare ahead, occasionally spicing it up by staring to his left and then his right. He fiddled his fingers over the pommel of his sword, and sometimes shifted his weight between his feet, but that was the most movement he could do. How was he sweating so much by standing still?? 

The door swung open, and for a moment his heart leapt, hoping the meeting was finally over and he could be released from this boredom. However, the only person to leave was Prince Ganondorf, who promptly closed the door after him. The Prince strolled past, then leaned against the wall next to him. He crossed his arms, his face indifferent. They stood together like that in silence for a while, one rigidly bored and the other casually unaffected. Finally the Prince spoke, breaking the silence. 

“Can’t believe Aunt Urbosa kicked me out of the meeting. I know she’s the current Chieftain and has more to talk about with the Princess, but someday I’ll lead and I should know this stuff. She says I’m a ‘distraction’ and ‘talk too much.’ What in the world does that mean?” 

How was it possible for Link to care even less about someone talking to him than staring into the empty distance? It may have been rude of him to try to ignore the Prince, but he just could not handle him at the moment. Not when he was sweating like a lynel. The Prince just continued to prattle on. 

“Well it’s not like I like those meetings anyway. A lot of the officials are out-of-touch with the actual people, they don’t take the time to get to know them and their troubles. Talking to any random civilian would be more productive than any of these meetings. What do you think Sir Link?” 

It took Link a second to realize he had been directly addressed. Slightly panicking because he hadn’t been listening to what he was saying, he simply nodded in agreement. 

“Exactly, Sir Link! The King was right, you really are a man of few words. But honestly, when you grow up around a bunch of shallow yes-men, you find that a person who doesn’t say much but is sincere in everything they do say is the most valuable asset you can have.”

Link just nodded once more. 

“By the way, I like your earrings. It’s rare to find a Hylian voe who takes the care to ornament themselves in such a way.” 

That was the second time in two days that someone had commented on his earrings. Maybe Ganondorf and Zelda were more similar than he thought. 

“Thanks,” he managed to rasp out. Quickly trying to think of a polite way to compliment the Prince back, he met his eyes for the first time. He was taken aback by how striking his dark brown eyes were, highlighted by a line of kohl. 

“I like your eyeliner,” Link said quietly. 

“Oh, thank you,” he said, lightly blushing. Had he really managed to make the Prince of Gerudo blush? “I could show you how to do it if you like.” 

The idea intrigued Link, and he tried to hold back his excitement as he nodded vigorously. The Prince laughed. 

“Very well, little Hylian. Here, face me,” he said as he dug into his pockets for a stick of kohl. He gently held Link’s chin up and brushed his messy fringe out of his face. This time Link tried not to blush. “Now, close your eyes and raise your eyebrows.” 

He wasn’t too happy closing his eyes while he was supposed to be guarding the door, but with all the guards around it would probably be okay. Probably. It would only take a few minutes anyway. 

“Wow, your eyelashes would give any vai a run for her money. This is going to look amazing on you.” 

Is this what it felt like for Zelda when she was around the Prince? Link had to admit that he was annoyingly charming, and his touch was warm and comforting, and he smelled like fresh air and spices —

“There, first eye done, now on to the second.” 

It was hard for Link to stand still for this long, so he shifted his weight between his feet a few times. 

“Stay still,” Prince Ganondorf commanded briskly, his grip on his chin growing firmer. 

“Sorry,” he breathed softly. In response, the Prince’s grip just grew stronger, moving down slightly to enclose his windpipe.  _ What...? _

He tried to shift back away from his hand, but his hold on his neck continued to tighten. He struggled to breathe now. Finally opening his eyes, he was not prepared for the sight in front of him. The Prince was smiling wickedly, and his eyes appeared to be glowing red (though maybe it was just from the lack of oxygen in his brain that caused him to see that). Link grabbed at the Prince’s hand, unsuccessfully trying to pry it open. 

As his vision started to darken, he managed to squeak out, “Prince Ganondorf?”

Suddenly he let go, and Link gasped for air. Looking up, he saw the Prince looking like his normal self, his dark brown eyes as warm as ever. There was nothing to hint at what had just happened. Maybe he had just imagined it? He had heard of heat stroke before, and the weird affects it had on people. Perhaps he would have to make yet another trip to the healer. 

“My, my, Sir Link, you look absolutely amazing! Here, take a look!” He held out a small mirror, and Link studied his reflection. The kohl really made his blue eyes pop, and he had to admit, he did like the way he looked. He also checked his neck, but didn’t see any signs of having almost been strangled to death. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. 

Thankfully the door to the Councilroom swung open, with Zelda and Urbosa laughing and chatting as they walked through it. Link had never been so relieved to see Zelda. 

“It was nice seeing you again, Little Bird. If you need help with anything don’t hesitate to come to me, okay?” Urbosa said warmly, giving Zelda a big hug. 

“Of course, Urbosa.” 

“And hello Link, sorry to keep you waiting. I sure hope my nephew didn’t talk your ear off.” 

“Auntie! I would never do such a thing!” 

Zelda turned to Link as if to say something to him, but as soon as she looked at him her eyes grew wide. She quickly looked away, but not before Link saw her blush. “I see you and Prince Ganondorf have been, er, bonding.” 

_ If bonding included almost being choked to death (or imagining being choked to death due to heat stroke), then sure, they certainly bonded.  _

“Well I’ve got paperwork to do, if you’d like to join me,” Zelda said to him as she started heading towards her guest quarters, still looking away. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the Prince bickering with his aunt. He still couldn’t make sense of what had just happened, but everyone was acting so nonchalant that he figured it wasn’t worth worrying over. Following Zelda, he tried to ignore his growing suspicion. 

——————

Ganondorf slammed the bathroom door closed as he strode over to the wash basin, dipping his hands into the cool water and rubbing it over his burning face. He loosened his hair from its tie, thick red locks tumbling down his shoulders. He shook his head angrily like a dog trying to get water out of its ears, scowling hard at his reflection. 

“What in the world was that about?” he demanded. 

A voice echoed loud in his mind. 

_ < I have no idea what you mean.> _

“Don’t play stupid,” Ganondorf growled. “First you put the Princess in serious danger, taking her out to the desert during the night. Then you almost strangle her knight to death! What do you think you’re doing?!”

_ <Oh you already know what we’re doing.> _

“Oh no, this is not a  _ we  _ situation . _I’m_ trying to rebuild connections with Hyrule and lead Gerudo into prosperity.  _ You’re _ trying to ruin that for whatever reason.” 

_< You don’t need the help of Hyrule to lead Gerudo into prosperity. Don’t you remember that it’s Hyrule’s fault that Gerudo is in ruins, a mere shadow of its ancient strength? Without them, Gerudo could finally be untethered from its bondages.> _

“Senseless bloodshed doesn’t solve anything. And I know you couldn’t care less about the prosperity of Gerudo, all you care about is destruction and chaos. I don’t know why you’ve chosen to bother me of all people, but I won’t let you win. I’ll do anything in my power to keep you from taking over.” 

_< You know full well why it has to be you. You know the Prophecy. The first Prince of Gerudo will bring about The Calamity, cleansing all of Hyrule of its impurities. You know that you’re the first Prince of Gerudo in generations, and I can feel in your heart the burning rage of what the corrupt kingdom of Hyrule did to your homeland. It has to be you. Just let me help you, and together we can rebuild from the ashes a better world.>_

“I’m not the first Prince of Gerudo. There was one ten thousand years ago, and he was the one who tried to bring about The Calamity. The Prophecy has already been fulfilled, there’s no way it could be me.” 

_< But he didn’t succeed in bringing about The Calamity. He was weak and greedy, and he failed. So no, he did not fulfill the Prophecy. You on the other hand, are fueled by a righteous fury, and are stronger than you could imagine. You will succeed where he failed.>_

“ I WILL succeed, but in my own way. I will bring peace and prosperity to this land, with no war or bloodshed. I will find a way to be rid of you, and I won’t stop fighting you until I do.” 

A dark shadow coalesced behind Ganondorf. He continued to scowl at his reflection, not acknowledging the shadow. 

_< Oh but how do you plan on doing that with no power? Your position as Prince of Gerudo is just a figurehead, your aunt doesn’t even allow you in diplomatic meetings. And once you marry the Princess you’ll just be her Prince-Consort, she’ll be the one with the real power.>_

The shadow gently brushed his cheek, a feeling like burning ice.

_< Besides, your precious little betrothed doesn’t even want to marry you. She has no feelings towards you, unlike your own growing ones.>_

Ganondorf growled and swatted at the shadow, dissipating the black cloud. 

“I don’t need direct power to change things. And Aunt Urbosa does trust me to lead, I’ve attended many meetings before. She just wanted to speak with Zelda more privately. And of course Zelda doesn’t want to get married, she didn’t have a choice in the matter. It doesn’t matter if she never develops feelings for me, I’ll take care of her until the day I die.” 

The voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, tickling the inside of his ear. 

_< You’re lying.> _

“SHUT UP!” Ganondorf roared, slamming his fist into the mirror, cracks spiderwebbing from the impact. His mind was eerily quiet now, and all he could see was the kaleidoscope of his own face in the broken mirror. Breathing hard, he braced his arms on the edge of the wash basin and hung his head. 

He would find a way to be rid of the voice, even if it killed him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I ever stop making these kids blush? Probably not. Anyway consider me president of the Loving Ganondorf Club


	6. Honored to Be Your Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter was plot heavy, so now it’s time for a bunch of fluff and angst and dialogue that isn’t particularly important lmao (but hey it was really fun to write)

A cool Hyrulean breeze washed over Zelda as she rode towards the castle, but for once it did not feel refreshing. What she would give to spend just a little longer in the blistering heat of the Gerudo Desert, where she had felt less stifled than in her own home. 

Her first courting date had been mostly a success, having negotiated several treaties with the officials and learning more about her betrothed. For instance, she learned that his favorite color was green, and that he was adept at drawing, but still learning how to cook. And that both his parents died at a young age, and was mostly raised by his Aunt Urbosa. And...wait, was that it? She racked her brain to see what else she remembered from their conversations. Maybe she had spent more time and attention on the treaties than the Prince. Well, there would be plenty more courting dates and letters to find out more about him. 

On the other hand, it seemed like Link had spent more time bonding with the Prince than she had. Thinking back to the time she had seen him with eyeliner, she felt herself getting flustered again. She quickly looked over to her knight, hoping he didn’t notice. Thankfully he was just riding along quietly, his brow slightly furrowed as he seemed to be thinking to himself. He had been even quieter than his usual self lately, and Zelda hoped she hadn’t upset him in some way. They had been making a lot of progress with their friendship, and she didn’t want to go back to square one. She had a history of alienating friends before they grew too deep, and she didn’t want the same thing to happen with her knight. Part of her felt like this friendship was different, and she hated the idea of jeopardizing it. 

Clearing her throat, Zelda tried to engage in some small talk. “So, it seems we’re going to make it back to the castle earlier than planned.” 

He looked at her, but his face remained impassive. 

“If you want, we could spend some time in the library and go over some reading exercises. I know of a few books that I think you would like.”

He simply nodded, but his eyes grew brighter and his ears perked up as he flashed her a broad lopsided grin.  _Happiness suited him well_ _,_ Zelda thought. She couldn’t contain her own smile. 

Finally they crossed the drawbridge to the castle, surprising the few guards on duty who were not expecting them to be back so soon. Zelda was glad that there wasn’t the usual fanfare at their return, and was suddenly struck with inspiration. 

After dismounting, Zelda grabbed both hers and Link’s reins and handed them off to the nearest stable boy. Link stood there and blinked, dumbfounded. She grabbed his hand and rushed off, dragging him after her. 

“H-hey wait, I need to untack Epona.” 

“We don’t have much time before the whole castle knows we’re here, and I want to show you something.” 

Still very confused, Link called back to the stable boy, “Hey! Make sure to brush her with the soft brush for longer, and give her an apple after you’re done! She deserves it!” And with that he was yanked away, almost losing his footing. 

They ran down several winding hallways before stopping in front of a large oak door. Zelda flung it open, revealing stacks on stacks of books. 

“The library?” Link asked incredulously. “Is this what you wanted to show me?” 

“No, I just wanted to pick up a few supplies before I showed you my secret place,” she said as she scooped up several books, papers, and quills in her arms. 

“Secret place?” 

“You’ll see,” she grinned playfully as she refused to elaborate. Stuffing the supplies into her travel bag, she once again grabbed his hand and dragged him as she pushed open the heavy door. Giggling, she ran out without looking. What she was not expecting was to be met with resistance as she tumbled out the door. 

“Excuse me, Your Highness,” said an extremely stiff and austere voice. Looking up, Zelda did a double-take. Link was behind her and in front of her at the same time? She felt Link suddenly pull his hand out of hers and rose it in a salute. 

“Captain Garrett,” he addressed him, voice formal and face unreadable. 

Captain Garrett nodded at him, acknowledging the salute. “As you were, Link. Also you don’t need to address me as Captain when you’re off duty.” 

“As you wish, Father.” 

Zelda shook her head. Maybe she had hit her head too hard, for surely she was seeing double. She knew that Link and his father shared a striking resemblance, but looking at them together now was like seeing him in a mirror. They shared the same jawline, upturned nose, and dark blonde hair (though Captain Garrett’s had grey streaks running through it). They even had the same blue eyes, though Link’s were a brighter shade of blue.  _Quite honestly she had never seen a blue that instense, not even the sky could compare..._

Upon closer inspection she could see their differences. Captain Garrett was a few inches taller than Link, though still not particularly tall for a Hylian. He had a few wrinkles, his face permanently set in a stern expression. He honestly didn’t look very old, which made Zelda wonder how young he must have been when he had Link. The major difference between the two, however, was how they carried themselves. Everything about Captain Garrett was perfect and restrained. His hair was perfectly pulled back into a sleek ponytail, his posture was iron rod-straight, and his royal guard’s uniform was neatly pressed without a speck of dirt on it. Link, on the other hand, looked like a feral animal. His shaggy hair resisted staying tied up, dirt seemed to be attracted to his clothing, and he nervously shifted his weight between his feet as he withered under the Captain’s stare. 

“So, you two are back early.” 

Link cleared his throat, looking away. “Yeah. We didn’t have any trouble on the road back.” 

“Hmm. That’s good.” He gave Link a firm pat on the shoulder before turning away. Looking over his shoulder, he addressed both of them as he walked down the hallway. 

“If King Rhoam asks, I’ll let him know you two are busy studying. Have a nice day.” 

With that he gave a small wave and turned a corner. Link let out a sigh of relief, and Zelda stood there, not quite sure what to make of that situation. She looked over at Link, who was looking considerably less excited than he did a few moments before.Obviously unexpectedly meeting with his father had made him tense, and Zelda sought to make him feel better. She stood as straight she could, shoulders squared and eyebrows furrowed as she pulled a ridiculous faux-deep voice.

“Oh look at me, I’m Captain Garrett and I’m so perfect.” She mocked as she marched around Link. “I don’t like to drink milk, it’s too spicy.” 

Link snorted. “He actually doesn’t drink milk, he’s lactose intolerant.”  _Of course he is._ This only egged Zelda on. 

“I care about my son but this stick up my butt keeps me from expressing my emotions.” Link laughed, a sound that made Zelda’s heart swell. She made a mental promise to make this boy laugh more often. 

Before she knew it Link was joining in on the shenanigans. “Zelda, this is not a death sentence. All I’m asking is for you to sign your whole life away to someone you barely know, and I don’t think that’s too much to ask for,” he said in his best King Rhoam impression (which was nowhere close but still humorous). Zelda cackled, and they leaned into each other as they laughed at their fathers’ expense. It felt good to let loose like this. 

Link’s sparkling blue eyes met hers as he grinned from ear to ear. “So you said there was a ‘secret place’ you wanted to show me?” 

“Oh yeah, let’s go.” Her hand searched for his, something that seemed to come naturally to her now. Leading him along, she made her way down several more hallways, stopping in front of a tapestry. Pulling away the thick material revealed a hidden tunnel. Stooping a little, she carefully walked down the craggy tunnel, feeling her way through the dark. 

“Zelda, are you sure about this?” Link asked worriedly.  _He called her Zelda_.  She tried to dismiss that thought as she continued down the tunnel. 

“Trust me, it’ll be worth it.” 

Soon a light appeared at the end of the tunnel, and a sweet smell wafted towards them. As they stepped out, they were greeted by golden rays of sunlight and the sound of trickling water and chirping birds. Link initially sheltered his eyes with his arm until he got used to the sudden change in light, but when he adjusted to it his eyes grew wide in wonder. They were in what seemed like an ancient temple, with marble statues and pillars covered in moss surrounding them and a cracked dome skylight above them. An ornate fountain lay in the middle of the room, somehow with water still bubbling down the sides. A swarm of colorful birds flittered around the fountain, drinking and splashing playfully. Patches of grass grew through the cracks in the floor, creating bits of plush carpet. Zelda could hardly contain her excitement as she saw Link look around in dazed amazement. 

“Do you like it?” 

“Yeah, where is this place? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it from the outside.” 

“Well most of this is underground, with just the skylight visible from above ground. But that is surrounded by trees so nobody really knows that this place exists. It’s said that previous queens would come down here to strengthen their connection to the goddess Hylia and their own power, but that’s just legend. My mother and I used to come down here all the time just to read and relax.” She felt a small pang as she remembered those bittersweet memories. 

“Anyway, there’s no chance we’ll get interrupted down here, so grab a book, take a seat, and we’ll begin our exercises,” she instructed. Link nodded, and grabbed a red leather book as he sat down. He traced his finger along the gold embossments, looking slightly nervous. Zelda gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and a smile, and picked up her paper and quill. 

“Let’s begin. Chapter One...” 

——————

It became a common occurrence for Link and Zelda to meet in the secret place, doing reading exercises as well as helping Zelda with her experiments, and sometimes just plain old relaxing. The secret place had a very calming effect on them, and gave them a chance to not be under the scrutinizing gaze of the castle staff for just a moment. 

As Link continued his exercises, he found reading to be much easier and even enjoyable. He was ravenous for knowledge, now that it wasn’t such a struggle for him. He had started off with fictional stories, which were fun but now he wanted to learn as much as possible. With subjects ranging from geography to basket weaving, Link couldn’t get enough. No wonder Zelda loved learning, this was more exciting than battle. Most battles went the same way, you hit things with a sword until you won; but with reading, there was always something new to learn. 

Link was in the middle of a book about sustainable farming techniques when Zelda asked him for help looking over her math. 

“I feel like something is off but I’m not sure what it is.” 

“Hmm lemme see.” He inspected the calculations, getting a wonderful insight into Zelda’s thought process. “Ah, here’s your problem. You put that 13+39 was 42, when it’s 52.” 

“Agh, it’s always the small things that throw everything off. Thanks Link.” 

“No problem, Zelda.” He didn’t know when he had started dropping the Princess title, but it felt right. Her name just rolled off his tongue so easily. 

“Link, can I be honest with you about something?” 

His heart suddenly started to beat rapidly.  _Oh no, this can’t be good_.

“I just...I know Prince Ganondorf is my betrothed, and I know that our union is very beneficial for Hyrule and Gerudo. And I am trying very hard to make it work, despite what my father might think. And he is a nice man, and very handsome. But I’m not quite sure how much of a connection I feel with him? I definitely respect him as a leader, but I don’t know how I feel romantically. Maybe it’ll get better with time?” She looked at him expectantly, like he would have the answer to that question. 

He just shrugged. “Maybe.” 

“And there’s...one other thing.” She fiddled nervously with her quill. Feeling her tense energy, Link gave her his full attention, concerned for what came next. 

“So, a few months ago, when my father threw a masquerade ball for me to ‘meet potential suitors’, I met someone. He was aroyal guard, and he was so sweet and attentive. I don’t even know his name, but I felt more of a connection to him than I do to Prince Ganondorf. I feel extremely guilty about that. I can’t seem to get him out of my head, and I think that’s what’s keeping me from getting closer to the Prince. Link, what should I do about this situation?” 

_Keep it cool, keep it cool, keep it cool –_ “Um, that’s a - that’s a pretty sticky situation. Quite honestly I wouldn’t know, I don’t have a lot of experience with dating.”

Zelda tilted her head. “Really? You seem like quite the lady’s man. Don’t you know women just love men who show no emotion and smell like horses all the time?” she teased. Link swatted playfully at her as she snickered. 

“No, shockingly I’m not a lady’s man. Sure I’ve had a few flings, mostly maids and one stable boy. He was actually pretty nice, but our similarities ended at our love of horses. It’s just...hard for me to really connect with people, so relationships don’t really go far for me.” 

“Well you seem to have more experience than me. I wasn’t allowed to even  look at anyone that way until I turned 18, and even then my father immediately found a match for me. Maybe part of the reason I have trouble connecting with Prince Ganondorf is because my father chose him for me, so whenever I look at him I just think of my father. And when I’m dating someone I don’t want to think of my father! That’s weird!” She paused and thought for a minute. “Maybe I just need to somehow make it feel like my choice, and then it’ll be better. Yeah, I think I’ll try that.” 

“Sounds like a plan. That’s what I told myself when I joined the military.” 

Zelda looked confused. “You didn’t choose to join the military? I thought sword fighting was just something you loved to do?”

_Oof, he did not mean to reveal that much about himself_.  He had never told anyone that before, but now he couldn’t stop talking, the words flowing from his mouth. 

“I mean yeah, I do love sword fighting, but it was mostly an expectation for me to join the military. My father was a prestigious captain and I had been training since I was five years old, it was the only thing I knew. And I guess I felt like following my father’s path was the only way to make up for the circumstances of my birth.” 

“Circumstances of your birth?” Zelda prodded, concerned confusion on her face. Link laid back on the grass, one arm flung over his face. He really didn’t want to get into this, but now he couldn’t back out of it. He sighed heavily. 

“I’m a bastard. No one really knows who my mother is, not even my father. I was dumped on the castle steps as a baby, with a note saying that Captain Garrett was my father. I don’t know why he chose to keep me, it would’ve been easier if he just gave me to the orphanage. Anyway, as you know, it’s very scandalous in Hylian society to have a child out of wedlock. My father had a lot going for him before I showed up. He was a captain at 20, and he really made a name for himself at the Battle of Faron. The King was even considering giving him a title of nobility, which would’ve meant a lot for him considering he grew up dirt poor. But then I happened. It was such a huge scandal that it completely halted his career. For someone who was so good at planning things, it’s funny that I was the only unplanned thing in his life. And for that, I felt like I had to make up for my existence. I had to be the best of the best, with no room for criticism. Not that it actually stops anyone from criticizing me, but at least it’s usually just unfounded petty jealousy. But yeah, um, that’s my story.” 

Link was met with silence.  _ Was Zelda judging him? Did she not want to be friends with him now that she knew his story? _ His mind raced with a million thoughts as he waited for Zelda to say something, anything. Taking a risk, he peeked out from under his arm. What he was not expecting was to see tears in Zelda’s eyes. 

“Link, how could you possibly feel like any of this is your fault? You didn’t choose to be born, and, and – who made you feel this way? Was it your father?” 

“No, not my father. At least, not intentionally. I really do feel like he tries his best, but he just doesn’t really know how to express himself. Again, he never planned to be a father.” 

Zelda reached out for Link’s hand, helping him to his feet. She didn’t let go once he was standing, firmly squeezing his hand and looking him directly in the eyes. Her dark green eyes were full of a righteous fury, and Link was frankly a little scared. 

“Link, you are a wonderful person, a treasure to be around. You do not need to make up for anything, you are perfect the way you are. I am honored to call you my friend.” 

He blinked, feeling his eyes starting to tear up a little bit.  _ Fuck, he couldn’t be crying right now. How did she manage to make him feel this way?  _

Zelda looked up at the setting sun above them. “It’s getting late, we should head out before anyone notices we’re gone.” 

Link nodded, but then froze, a realization hitting him. 

“Wait, what day is it?” 

“Thursday? Why do you ask?” 

_Shit shit shit shit shit._

His hands flew to his head, grabbing at his hair as he realized how screwed he was. “Oh no, I was supposed to be at focus training today with Captain Norman. I completely missed it, I’m in so much trouble.” 

“Wait, wait, slow down, what’s this all about?” 

“I don’t have time to explain, I need to be at the training yard now. _Shit, how could I be so careless..._ ” He ran off, with Zelda close behind. 

“Wait, Link! What’s wrong?” 

He kept on running, blood pounding in his ears.  _ Maybe if he made it in time, he could reason with the Captain. Shit, how could he let this happen... _

He ran so fast that he soon lost the sound of Zelda’s voice. _ Damnit, why was the training yard so far away from this side of the castle??? _

When he finally made it to the training yard, the sun had just slipped over the horizon. There was no one there except Captain Norman, who sat on a box with his sword planted out in front of him and his eyes closed. He looked up when he heard Link’s footsteps approach, his eyes simmering with a quiet rage.

“So someone finally decided to show up to training.” 

“Sir, I apologize, I was not aware of the time – “ 

“You have no respect for your superiors, and flagrantly disregard what they ask of you. How many times do you need to learn that you do not disobey me?” He growled as he unsheathed his sword, stepping towards Link. Link stepped back, until he felt the wall of the stable behind him. He reached for his sword, but grabbed nothing but air.  _Shit, he must have left it in the secret place._ Frantically he looked around, hoping for some way out of this. There was nothing. Dropping to his knees, he held his hands up in a pleading gesture. 

“Sir, please, I meant no disrespect. We can reschedule training, we can – “ 

“It’s too late for negotiations. You must learn the consequences to your arrogance.” He raised his sword to Link’s left cheek, pressing the tip into the skin until a small bead of blood welled up. He smiled wickedly, drunk on power.

“Now, won’t it be nice to make your face symmetrical?” Link closed his eyes, but all he could see was his father’s disappointed face. 

“STOP!” a loud demanding voice rang out across the yard. 

Tentatively opening his eyes, he saw Zelda angrily marching towards them. “Your Highness!” Captain Norman breathed, quickly dropping to one knee and bowing his head. 

“What’s the meaning of this, Captain Norman? How dare you wield your weapon at someone who is unarmed and submitting?” 

“Your Highness, this knight was showing disrespect to his commanding officer, I was merely teaching him a lesson for his insolence.” 

“And what disrespect did this knight show?” 

“He refused to show up to mandated training.” 

“Well I’ll have you know, Sir Link was assisting me with my research today as he was off duty. I’m sure you know that you can not mandate training for a soldier that is off duty, and on top of that, my word supersedes yours. Therefore I deem these off-hours training as unnecessary. Sir Link, you may rise. I require your assistance at this moment.”

Link stood up shakily and made his way to Zelda’s side. 

“And one more thing. If you ever pull your weapon on an unarmed man again, I’ll make sure you are stripped of your title and discharged with disgrace. Are we clear?” 

“Yes, Your Highness.” 

“Good.” 

And with that Zelda turned, head held high and her eyes cold as ice. Link followed her, momentarily relieved. As they left he could feel Captain Norman’s glare searing into his back, and he prayed that things hadn’t been made worse for him. 


	7. This is My Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is slightly longer than usual and the beginning is a little slow-moving, but bear with me it gets cute (plus actual plot stuff!) Here we get to see a bit more introspection into Zelda's thoughts and struggles

“This is my choice, this is my choice, this is my choice,” Zelda repeated quietly to herself as they approached the gates to Gerudo Town. Her palms felt sweaty, but not because of the heat. At the Kara Kara Bazaar Inn she had changed into the traditional Gerudo clothes the Prince had bought her during their last visit, so there was no reason for her to feel this suffocated. Link reached out and gave her hand a squeeze, steadying her shakiness. 

“It’ll be okay,” he reassured, looking directly in her eyes. 

_ But her whole kingdom depended on her marriage to the Prince, she had to get this right. She couldn’t mess this up, not like everything else… _

She took a deep breath, then let it go slowly. Now was not the time for insecurities. She would be the Perfect Princess she was raised to be, and she would fall in love with her betrothed so as to fulfill her duty to her kingdom.  _ She could do this, she HAD to do this.  _

“Well, no time like the present. Let’s go,” Zelda prompted confidently, or as confident as she could be at that moment. Link nodded, following her into the city and towards the palace.

As she ascended the steps to the palace, she saw Prince Ganondorf excitedly run to greet her. 

“Princess Zelda! How were your travels?”

“They were fine, I got here in one piece didn’t I?” she chuckled, and the Prince beamed. Suddenly she was cut off by a sharp growl coming from her stomach. _ Oh no, this was very unladylike, hopefully the Prince didn’t hear it.  _

“Are you hungry, Princess?” he asked, looking a bit concerned. 

_ Crap _ . 

“No, no, I’m fine, don’t worry about it,” she said shyly, trying to remain courteous, just like a princess should. 

“Are you sure? I was actually just cooking a meal for when you arrived, though you arrived sooner than I expected,” he admitted sheepishly. “It’s almost done though, so if you don’t mind waiting a few minutes, we could all eat together. Nothing brings people together like a good meal,” he said, flashing her a warm smile. “Come on inside and take a seat!” he gestured to the open doorway. As she went inside and sat at the low table, Link took his post outside, sword planted out in front of him as he stood guard, shoulders straight and eyes locked ahead. Prince Ganondorf stopped and looked at him, puzzled.

“What do you think you’re doing, little Hylian? You’re eating with us! You’re just as much of a guest as the Princess.”

Link blushed as he looked around awkwardly. It was not common for knights to dine with royalty, especially when they were on duty. But the Prince was waiting expectantly, and at this point it would be rude for Link to refuse, so he took a seat on a cushion next to Zelda. 

_ These Gerudo and their generosity _ , Zelda thought. Hylian society was so repressed in comparison. This was something she would definitely have to get used to. 

“I’ll be right back in a few minutes, I just need to put some finishing touches on the meal. I’m excited for you to try it!” Prince Ganondorf rushed away to the kitchen, leaving Zelda and Link alone at the table. Link fiddled with the hem of his tunic as Zelda sat there awkwardly. It was Link who finally broke the silence.

“So...Prince Ganondorf is nice.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“So how edible do you think this meal will be?”

“Link!”

“What? Royal people don’t really spend a lot of time cooking.”

“One, I take that personally. Two, he is genuinely learning how to cook. And three, you’ve told me that you’ve eaten literal rocks before, so I don’t think you get to judge the edibility of the Prince’s cooking.”

“That was a  _ rock roast _ , it’s very different.”

“Heating up a rock doesn’t make it different, it’s just a hot rock now.”

“It’s a Goron specialty, they know what they’re doing.”

Before Zelda could continue bickering with Link, the kitchen door flung open as Prince Ganondorf came out with a cart full of hot steaming food. “Dinner is ready!” he announced excitedly. Both Zelda and Link looked at the Prince wide-eyed as he unloaded plate after plate of food onto the table. When he had mentioned cooking a meal Zelda had not expected a whole feast. Plates ranged from beautifully grilled slabs of gourmet meat to freshly cut hydromelons, beds of rice and vegetables to honey-glazed baked apples. Everything looked and smelled amazing. Prince Ganondorf plopped himself down next to Zelda, handing her an empty plate. “Take whatever you like.”

Zelda only put a small amount of some meat, vegetables, and rice onto her plate, as would be expected from a Princess of Hyrule. Link, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind piling his plate with a sizable mountain of food. She took a dainty bite, and was welcomed with an explosion of flavor. 

“Prince Ganondorf, this is exquisite! I thought you said that you were just learning how to cook!”

“Well, I had plenty of time to practice while you were gone,” he said shyly, not quite sure how to take the compliment. 

“Well, it's delicious,” she reaffirmed. Link nodded in agreement, mouth full of food. They continued eating in silence, which was fine until Zelda finished eating and wasn’t sure where to even begin in conversation. She felt her earlier insecurities start creeping up again. Instantly shutting them down, she fired out the first question she could think of. 

“So how are you?”

“I’m good. And you?”

“I’m good as well.” 

Silence again. There had to be  _ something  _ to talk about.

“Um, do you have any pets?”

“Not really. How about you?”

“Not really either. I guess I have a horse, but I don’t know if I would consider him a pet. He doesn’t like me that much.”

“Oh really? Does he bite?”

“No, he just does what he wants.”

“Okay. What color is he?”

“All white.”

“Oh, pretty.”

“Yeah.”

Zelda’s insecurities threatened to take over once again.  _ How was she failing at this? _ She was trained in all forms of diplomacy, but somehow she couldn’t keep up a conversation with her betrothed. Their letters had been lively enough, but for some reason she couldn’t talk to him in person. She kept thinking of her kingdom and what their marriage would mean for it, and she felt so much pressure weighing on her shoulders to get this right. If she couldn’t even talk to her future husband then how could she ever be expected to lead? _Goddesses she was just a massive failure…_

She felt a comforting squeeze of her hand under the table, and she looked up to see Link giving her a reassuring smile.  _ Was it really that obvious that she was stressed?  _ He let go of her hand and started signing discreetly.

_ <This is your choice.> _ He then gave her a thumbs up and a smile. 

_ Huh, she didn’t know Link knew sign language. That’s just another thing to add to the mystery pile.  _ Though his message was comforting, it made Zelda think about her own actual choices. She didn’t have many, and she felt her insecurities get replaced by a surge of anger. This was so unfair, she really should have gotten more time to herself, she should have gotten to choose her betrothed, she should be able to choose what is best for Hyrule, why was everyone constantly telling her what to do - 

“Prince Ganondorf, did you choose to be my betrothed or did my father decide that for you as well?”

“Umm,” Prince Ganondorf started, a little taken aback by the forwardnes of her question. He didn’t seem to mind that much though, as he continued. “No, I didn’t really choose. Of course I couldn’t really be forced into it, but I was pressured by everyone around me, saying it was the best choice for both of our countries. Not that I mind though, you’re very lovely, Princess,” he added quickly.

“You see, I don’t understand that. You’re a prince, yet people still feel the need to share their input in your business. Don’t you want more freedom of choice?” she inquired, only somewhat projecting her own feelings onto him. 

Prince Ganondorf thought for a while, then his usual cheery disposition slipped away, revealing something that felt a bit more genuine. “Honestly, yes. I want to do more for my country but I keep being told not to worry about it, that I’ll do more when I’m older, that Aunt Urbosa will handle it. I have so many ideas and yet nobody will listen to them. I do what I can around the city to help out the civilians, but there's only so much I can do.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “If I had only a little more power I could do so much good.”

“Exactly!” Zelda agreed, happy to finally feel understood in this aspect. “I can’t even help out the civilians in Castle Town, my father seems to think I’m this precious little porcelain doll that will break if I do anything by myself. I have my own thoughts and feelings, but it doesn’t matter, I’m just a perfect little princess,” she spat in disgust. “If I’m to be in charge someday I’ll need to start making my own decisions. I want to lead Hyrule into the modern age, but my father seems to be stuck in the past, and is trying to drag me back with him. But I won’t allow it, not over my dead body.” She felt a fire alight in her stomach as she found a new determination. 

“I love that you’re so passionate, Princess Zelda,” he said softly. 

“Please, just call me Zelda.”

“As you wish, Zelda. And you can just call me Ganon.” 

“Alright, Ganon. Promise me this,” she propositioned, grabbing hold of his hand. He blushed a little at this. “Promise me that we’ll never stop fighting for our freedom, okay? We deserve to make our own life choices.” Ganon looked surprised, but his face settled into a similar look of determination. 

“I promise.”

“Good. Now I’m going to eat more of your delicious cooking, because who cares if it’s unladylike.”

Ganon chuckled. “Take as much as you like, Zelda. Though it seems your knight is the reigning champion when it comes to eating,” he teased. Link looked up, cheeks full of food as he reached for another plate. Zelda laughed; he looked like a squirrel trying to hide his food stash. 

“I mean, I guess he needs to get his energy from somewhere.”

“I thought he just saved his energy by not talking much,” Ganon teased. Zelda laughed, but then realized that she had forgotten that most people saw Link as quiet. He had been pretty open with her lately, constantly joking with her as well as sharing intimate secrets. She wished more people could see this side of him, he was a delight to talk to. Well, at least she was grateful that she was able to open up to Ganon finally. He shared a common passion with her, and understood her unique troubles. It was comforting not to feel alone in bearing her responsibility. 

Ganon poured each of them a glass of wine, and raised his for a toast. “To Gerudo and Hyrule: may their union prosper.”

“Hear hear,” Zelda chimed, clinking her glass to his and Link’s, taking a deep drink. She held onto the feeling of victory she had at that moment, using it to squash the other thought that was trying to rise up to the front of her mind, a thought that never seemed to go away. 

After dinner they milled around the palace for a bit, chatting about hobbies and childhood stories. It was much easier talking to Ganon now that she had expressed her frustrations about the whole situation. Things were looking up for once. 

“So you’re telling me that you avoided sand seals for years because you thought they were going to  _ eat you _ ?” Zelda asked incredulously, trying not to laugh. 

“What? I was seven years old, and they were much bigger than me. Not to mention their giant tusks,” Ganon defended, miming tusks with his fingers at his mouth. Now she couldn’t hold back the laughter, even letting out a little snort. He only smiled affectionately at that. They leaned on a balcony ledge, looking over the city painted gold by the setting sun. She really did love her time spent in Gerudo, she felt like she could be more of herself here. Her mother used to come here to visit Urbosa all the time, and Zelda wondered if she felt the same freedom here that she did now. She really hoped she did. 

“Is everything alright, Zelda?” Ganon asked, looking concerned. He must have noticed the sudden sadness that had just washed over her while recalling those memories.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just...I miss my mother sometimes. I wish I had her guidance right now,” she said, her gaze settled on the far-off horizon. He nodded, and looked off into the horizon with her. 

“Losing parents at a young age is hard. Everyone pities you, but very few are willing to actually help. There’s a lot you have to learn on your own, much earlier than most people have to. To be honest, it’s very hard not to be bitter about it. But,” he turned his gaze to her, and she met it with her own, “I know that they would be very proud of the people that we’ve become. And sometimes, during peaceful moments like these, I can feel them in my heart. I know they’re never truly gone, not as long as I remember their love. And from what I can tell, your mother loved you so very much, so hold onto that when you feel yourself missing her. She’ll be there with you.” He laid a warm, comforting hand on top of hers. 

Zelda felt her vision going blurry and her throat growing tight. He was right, but she still felt incredibly lonely. She leaned into him, hoping to feel some sort of connection. He wrapped her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. She sighed deeply into his chest, then stepped back. 

“It’s getting late, I should be getting to bed,” she said flatly. 

“Alright Zelda, let me walk you back to your room,” he offered. She just nodded numbly, letting him take her by the elbow and lead her down the hallway to her room. As they stopped in front of her door, Ganon gently held both of her hands and looked her in the eyes. “You are loved, Zelda, never forget that,” he murmured. 

“I know,” she replied.  _ Though it was a lot harder to feel loved when the person who loved her was dead.  _ Then he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips, surprising her.  _ Ohhhh...maybe he wasn’t talking about her mother.  _

“Good night, Zelda,” he said, before leaving her side for the night. She stood there, glued in place, as she tried to process what happened.  _ They’re betrothed, idiot, of course he would want to kiss her eventually. Quite honestly it took much longer than what would usually be expected. Then why did it feel...strange? Like it came out of nowhere?  _ She just shook her head and went inside her bedroom, hoping some rest would answer her questions. 

\--------------

Link sat down outside the Princess’s bedroom door, beginning his shift for the day. It was still dark outside, but the sun would be creeping up in just an hour or so. Zelda had a habit of sleeping in late when they visited Gerudo, so he settled in for a boring couple of hours. He took out his sword and started polishing it. 

Suddenly the door swung open, smacking Link in the face. “Aghh,” he grunted, annoyed. 

“Oh I’m so sorry Link, I didn’t expect you to be there,” Zelda apologized profusely. 

“It’s okay,” he muttered as he rubbed his sore nose. “What are you doing up so early, Zelda?” he asked. 

She looked away. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I would go for a small walk, you know, clear my head.” 

“Makes sense,” he reasoned. She really did look like she was having an awful time sleeping, with dark bags under eyes and her golden hair all askew. It made his heart pang to see her in this kind of state. She had been taking everything so hard lately, it only made sense that it would wear her down.  _ If only the King could see what all this was doing to her. If only he cared.  _ He sheathed his sword and stood up. He could at least try to relieve some of the burden for a small moment. 

“Allow me to escort you, Princess Zelda,” he said with a flourish, raising an eyebrow and cocking a grin. She rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed.

“Ugh, please, it’s too early for formalities.” 

“Please, Your Highness, if I spoke to you any other way I would instantly burn up and die.” Zelda snorted, dropping the pretend annoyance and smiling ever so slightly. 

_ There, a smile. Success.  _

“Well with such dire consequences I guess I have to let you,” she teased. 

“Thank you, m’lady.”

“Never mind, you can die in a fire.”

“Oh come on, Zel, I’m only kidding.”

“Nope, you must perish in a fiery pit.”

They kept on bantering as they walked through the palace, eventually making it to the cold outside. Zelda shivered a bit. Without a word Link stripped off his thick outer tunic and handed it to her. She hesitated before putting it on. 

“Thank you for not fighting me on taking the tunic,” he said appreciatively. 

“Well I knew there was no use fighting you about it, once you’ve made up your mind there’s no convincing you otherwise.”

“That’s true.”

They walked in silence as they strolled past a few vendors starting to set up shop. The sun was just barely starting to inch over the horizon, giving everything a soft glow. People spoke in hushed murmurs, making their early excursion feel like a secret. Gerudo Town was uncharacteristically quiet and empty, causing it to feel like some sort of in-between place. It was both eerie and calming. 

They made it to the front gate when they stopped. 

“Would you like to go back to your room, Zelda?”

She thought for a moment before her face settled into one of determination. “No. I would like to go out into the desert, and see that stone carving we saw last time again. I didn’t get much of a chance to examine it last time.”

Link was not happy to hear this response. “Are you sure, Princess?” Then, lowering his voice, he continued, “Last time you were almost killed, Zel. I can’t risk you getting hurt again.” 

She looked indignant at that. “I’m perfectly aware of what happened last time, Link, I didn’t forget. But the sun is coming up and I have you to protect me, so it’ll be fine. Besides,” she shifted her weight, looking away, “I could use a little distance from Gerudo Town while I … think.”

He sighed. “Okay.” There was no point in fighting her once she had her mind made up. 

She turned to the guard at the town entrance. “Please let the Prince know that I’m going into the desert for some research and will be back shortly. Tell him not to worry as I’m accompanied by my knight attendant.”

“Will do, Your Highness.”

“Thank you.” She turned on her heel and marched out the gate, though her steps were slowed the second they sunk into the deep sand. They trudged their way through the sand, Link following a few steps behind as Zelda tried to remember where the ruins were located. The energy emanating from her felt staticky and jumpy, and Link was worried. He knew he probably shouldn’t ask her about it, but he didn’t like seeing her so agitated.

“So what’s wrong with the Prince?” he finally asked. Zelda stopped in her tracks and whipped around. 

“Whatever do you mean?” she asked, eyes glowering.  _ Yeah, probably a bad idea to ask but it was too late now.  _

“Well you had trouble sleeping, you said you needed distance from Gerudo Town, and you’re about to throw yourself into research as a distraction. And this is all after what happened...last night. So...what’s wrong with the Prince?”

She sighed, slouching in defeat, knowing she couldn’t keep up the facade anymore. “Wow, you’re amazingly intuitive,” she muttered. 

“Not intuitive, just observant,” he corrected. 

“Whatever. It’s just...I don’t know how to feel. Well I do know how I feel, and it’s guilty because it’s not how I’m supposed to feel. I’ve known Ganon for over six months now, and he’s been nothing but a complete sweetheart and theoretically a perfect match. But...I still don’t havel any romantic feelings toward him. I feel no spark. At this point I’ve just accepted that it’ll just be a platonic marriage, which isn’t bad, there are worse things out there. And then...he kissed me last night. And now I’m worried that he might be in love with someone who doesn’t love him back the same way, and that’s not fair to him. I feel like a failure to both him and my kingdom, and I really wish I had my mother’s guidance right now. But...she’s dead, so I’m all alone!”

All of her pent-up emotions finally spilled over as she slumped to the ground and wept. Link knelt down and held her tightly, letting her tears soak his shoulder. She took a shuddering breath and continued. 

“And Ganon said that if I remember my mother’s love, she’ll always be there in my heart. But the thing is, I do remember my mother’s love, vividly, and all I feel is resentment that she isn’t here anymore. I hate that she had to leave so soon, and that everyone acts like she was never here. They were all so quick to forget her, including my father. So all I feel is this massive resentment. It’s so childish to feel this way, but I can’t help it.”

“It’s not childish to feel that way,” Link whispered, finally speaking up. She looked at him, shocked to see he was validating her feelings. “It’s a perfectly normal response. And you’ve had no one to share these feelings with, so you’ve bottled up your resentment for so long. And I just want you to know that it’s okay to feel this way, and it’s okay to let go of these emotions. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay,” he murmured gently into her ear as he stroked her hair. 

“Do you feel resentment towards your mother for abandoning you when you were a baby?” she asked, her voice muffled against his shoulder. 

“Yes. I used to be filled with rage, upset that she didn’t want me, that she caused me to have the life that I have. But it’s okay, I’ve come to terms with it. My life isn’t so bad after all, I got to meet you. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Zelda was quiet for a moment, but dug her face into his shoulder and whispered, “I’m glad I met you too, Link.” 

They stayed like that for a while, letting the sand shift around them as they held each other tightly. The sun steadily climbed higher, as did the temperature. Eventually Zelda let go of him, taking off his thick tunic and giving it back to him. 

“Thank you, but I’m not going to need this anymore,” she said with a small smile. “ We should start looking for the ruins again. Like you said, I need a distraction.”

He could also use a distraction, his heart was pumping a million miles a minute with how bold he had been a while ago. He was lucky that Zelda didn’t chew his head off. But it seemed to have worked out in the end, she got to express what was weighing her down. And he got to hold her…

Tying his tunic around his waist, he jogged after Zelda, who was determinately striding through the sand. He tried for some comic relief.

“So...is the Prince a good kisser?” he asked deviously. 

She furrowed her brows and scoffed. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Well of course I would, that’s why I asked.”

“Kiss him yourself then.”

“Maybe I will. He’ll fall madly in love with me and then you could call off the marriage and just do whatever you want.”

“Ugh I wish. But if you did that I would owe you too many favors and I don’t want to give you that kind of power, it would just go to your head.”

“Rude.” 

Zelda just smiled smugly with a sense of victory. Link was glad to admit defeat, content to be blessed with her smile that warmed him more than the sun. He didn’t realize how entranced by her he was until she suddenly stopped and he bumped into her, bringing him back into reality. 

“There it is!” she exclaimed excitedly, bouncing and clapping her hands. The ruins loomed up above the sand, with the engraved stone disk in the center. For generations they had stood silently, keeping their ominous secrets. Until now. 

Picking their way through the uneven pavestones, they approached the disk. Zelda reached up to touch the engravings, eyebrows furrowed as she sought to decipher their meanings. Link turned around to face the entrance to the ruins, sword at the ready. He wouldn’t let anyone catch them unaware this time. 

Zelda muttered under her breath, trying out different rough translations before grunting in exasperation. 

“Is everything alright, Zel?” he called back, still facing forward. 

“It’s just, this isn’t making sense! I see the word ‘Triforce’ in there, so I’m assuming this is at least 10,000 years old. But the majority of the words aren’t matching with Old Hylian, and if it were Ancient Hylian I doubt that the engravings would still be legible. But even assuming it was somehow preserved since the Ancient Times, the script has none of its usual flourishes. Besides, in Ancient Times the Triforce would usually be referred to by its separate parts, and when referred to together it would have an honorific, which is very much absent here. If I could place the time this was written I could possibly translate it better. But it just seems to be a weird mish-mash of time periods within sentences.”

“Are you sure it’s Hylian and not another language?” Link suggested. 

“Definitely sure. While I can’t place an exact time period, I still recognize the words as Hylian. Would you like to take a look, Link?”

He hesitated, not wanting to let down his guard. But his curiosity took over, and he turned around to face the disk. Several words suddenly popped out at him, notably “Triforce”, “Courage”, “Wisdom”, “Balance”, “Power”, and “Calamity”. Once his eyes adjusted to the script, more complete sentences started forming, and he felt a sense of familiarity. The mish-mashed script flowed smoothly for him, much easier to read than normal script. And the tone of the sentences felt...casual? It was almost like a normal conversation he would overhear in the training yard. 

“I, I think I know what your problem is,” he breathed, still in awe of what he read. 

“What is it?” she inquired. 

“So, a couple things actually. Firstly, I think whoever engraved this was possibly dyslexic, because I can read it easily. I think they chose the letters that were easiest for them to read, even if it was from an older time period, and that’s why they appear jumbled and hard to place.” 

He ran his fingers gently across the engravings with a tender understanding. “Secondly, I think the person was also poor. The tone is very casual with an occasional slang word, and no regards for proper grammar. That would explain the absence of an honorific before the word Triforce.”

Zelda looked intrigued, as well as impressed that Link was able to deduce all the information. Then she seemed to deflate a little. “So what you’re saying is this might just be some graffiti?”

“Well, no. It still feels important, just maybe it wasn’t sanctioned by a high-ranking individual. You know the phrase, ‘the words of the Prophet are written on Palace walls?’” he prompted. She shrugged. 

“I’ve heard it a few times.”

“Well it’s usually interpreted as the Gift of Sight is bestowed upon the poor, the people that no one listens to. They write their messages on the outside of the Palace walls, and no one deemed as important reads it. And then it’s forgotten. I feel like this is what’s happening here,” he gestured towards the disk. Zelda examined the disk, thinking hard on what he just said. 

“So...what does it say?” She turned her deep green eyes towards him, inquisitive. A lump formed in his throat as he suddenly forgot how to speak while under her gaze. Her eyes were so beautiful, and she was trusting his opinion on her research. The smartest person he knew wanted his input, and he didn’t know how to feel about that. 

Tearing away from her gaze, he cleared his throat and looked back at the disk. “It’s only a rough translation, but I believe it goes like this: ‘The Triforce is a triangle, it needs more than just Courage and Wisdom to exist. Look for the first Prince of Gerudo, he has the Power for Calamity and Balance. All three need a direction or else it falls apart.”

Zelda remained quiet for a while, thinking. Then she pulled out a small book and a pencil, copying the engraving on the stone as well as what Link said. When she was finished she snapped the book closed and pocketed it, turning to leave the ruins. Link followed, not sure exactly what was going through her mind but could clearly see the cogs turning. 

“I’m not quite sure what this all means, but I have a few ideas of where to start. When we get back to Hyrule we’re going to hit the library, as well as investigate the Ancient Shrines around the Castle. Might also get into contact with Impa from Kakariko Village, being a Sheikah she would know best about anything from the Ancient Times.” She looked at Link, gaze softening. “I don’t know why but I feel like this is important, and we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

“We?” Link asked, dumbfounded at the idea of being included. 

“Of course ‘we’. What would I do without my observant assistant?” She smiled, and he felt his heart stop. Then he smiled back. 

He liked the sound of ‘we’. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did I tell ya, so much cuteness by the end (just needed to wade through some angst first lol). Tune in for next week's update, it's gonna be a real doozy!


	8. It's You

“So Impa has agreed to help us with our research, and even promised that she’ll come visit us to talk about it more in depth! And she offered Purah’s services at the Hateno Research Lab as well!” Zelda gushed excitedly. “She agrees that the carvings must have some significance, but feels like we need to do some more research on events from that time period. There’s an ancient shrine near here, so perhaps that will give us a little bit of insight. What do you think Link?” 

Link didn’t say anything, he just kept his head bowed over the mane of his horse. 

“Link?”

Ever so softly, she heard a gentle snore arise from her knight. Was Link really asleep in the saddle?  _ Oh, this was too good of an opportunity for teasing. _

She reached over and flicked his nose, startling him awake with a snort. “Wake up sleepyhead,” she giggled. 

“Wha…” he mumbled, until realization struck him and he suddenly turned beet red. “Oh no,” he groaned, sinking his face into his hands.

“Did somebody stay up too late reading last night, or is my research talk really that boring?” Zelda chided him affectionately. 

“No, no, not at all Zel. I always find your research talk very interesting.” He punctuated this with a large yawn, which definitely did not help his case. “It’s just that Captain Norman has been assigning me to the night watch shift lately, and it's just taking my body some time to get used to it.” 

Zelda scrunched up her nose. “Ugh, I feel like that prick is just trying to get back at me for undermining his authority. I should really go tell him to knock it off.”

“N-no, no, that won't be necessary,” Link stammered. “It’s fine, Zelda, really, don’t worry about it.”

“Well I can’t have my knight falling asleep while on duty,” Zelda huffed. “He’s being ridiculous Link, and he shouldn’t get away with treating his men like this. He needs to learn that the Royal Crown won’t tolerate this behavior.”

“Really, it’s fine. I’ll just try harder to stay awake, and soon my body will get used to it. Please, don’t make a big deal about this. It’s just the life I chose when I joined the military.”

  
Zelda just looked at him and sighed, letting the subject drop. She hated seeing him like this, exhausted and nervous.  _ When she becomes Queen, there will be a LOT of changes, mark her words. _

As they crested the hill she could see the familiar orange lights of a shrine. There it was, solemnly hiding its secrets from her. But she came prepared, armed with a thick stack of books and a lot of patience. 

__

Rifling through the pages of one of the books, she eyed the entrance to the shrine. Not expecting much, she pushed on the entrance to see if it would give. It did not.  _ Well, gotta rule out the obvious choice first.  _ There was a small pedestal to the right, and she gently ran her fingers along the carvings. She felt a small hum beneath her fingertips, but nothing more. It looked like it needed some sort of key, but not the usual kind. She flipped through some more pages. 

__

“It says here that some ancient passages could be opened by playing a tune on an ocarina. I don’t have an ocarina, but I’ll try whistling some of the song fragments written in here.”

__

She whistled a few notes. Nothing happened. She tried a few more. Same result. 

__

“Maybe you do actually need an ocarina,” Link chimed in. 

__

“Hmm, maybe. Not sure why that specific instrument, but I won’t be able to get my hands on one any time soon. I don’t know of any artisan who knows how to make one. Besides, it looks like there’s some sort of place for a key. Have you read any books on ancient shrines?”

__

He thought for a second, but shook his head no. “I did read a couple of history books, but couldn’t find much on the ancient times. I’ve read that sometimes the Hero of Courage through the ages would be given different trials. Maybe we need the Master Sword to unlock it.”

__

“We might as well be searching for fairies then,” Zelda sighed. “There are a lot of theories on whether the Master Sword is actually real or just a metaphor for courage itself. It’s hardly likely that one sword could last for millennia without majorly deteriorating.”

__

“Maybe it’s preserved by ~~spirit magic~~” Link wiggled his fingers and raised his eyebrows at that, looking like an absolute dork. Zelda snorted. 

__

“Yeah, maybe ~~spirit magic~~ will open this shrine,” she said, unimpressed. 

__

Link turned towards the shrine and threw out his arms towards it, enunciating in a silly deep voice, “Oh Great Mysterious Shrine, I command thee to open!” 

__

The shrine appeared to get darker, which freaked Zelda out for a second before she realized it was just a cloud passing over the sun. Link looked up and lost his playfulness. “It looks like a storm is coming, we should head back to the castle before we get struck by lightning.”

Her shoulders drooped as she resignedly put her books away. She didn’t want to leave so soon, but Link was right. Hyrule’s weather was finicky and nobody wanted to be caught out in one of its infamous thunderstorms. 

He helped her up onto her horse before mounting his own, waving at the shrine as he spurred onward. “Goodbye Weird Shrine-Thingy, we’ll be back again someday.” 

Zelda just shook her head and chuckled. She loved this goofy side of him. 

Her thoughts were cut off by a fat raindrop plopping on her forehead, immediately followed by another. They looked at each other worriedly. The storm was coming much faster than anticipated, and this was going to be a difficult race home. They urged their horses into a gallop. 

The rain fell faster and faster, soaking them as their horses splashed through the wet fields. Soon it fell in thick dark sheets, making it difficult to see. Only the sound of their horses’ thudding hooves and labored breathing cued them in on where the other was. 

Suddenly a bright flash exploded in front of Zelda, causing her stallion to rear back in fright. “ZELDA!” she heard Link shout after her as she toppled from her horse’s back. Her horse galloped off in the direction of the castle as she lay shivering in the mud, not quite processing how close of a call she just had. She felt strong arms help her up from the mud and into a saddle. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Link murmured as he held her by the waist, spurring his horse forward. Still too dazed to register what was happening, she just sunk into his warm embrace, feeling a sense of calm flow all over her. 

Before she knew it, she heard the clattering of hooves on wood as they crossed the drawbridge to the castle. The wind howled as they made their way to the stable, where they could finally take a break from the storm. 

They were greeted by the warm, musky smell of the stable as they stumbled into Epona’s stall, collapsing onto the straw. Breathing heavily, they looked at each other. Link looked extremely shaken, his eyes wide with concern as bits of straw poked out of his soaking, messy hair. Zelda couldn’t contain the laughter that was bubbling up inside her, clutching her sides as she let out a loud cackle. Link just furrowed his eyebrows. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“Y-your hair!” she snorted, very unladylike of her. “You look like a scarecrow!”

His look of concern melted into a mischievous lopsided smile. “Well you’re not looking too proper yourself.”

“Whatever do you mean? I’m the picture of perf-perfectAHCHOO!” she sneezed loudly mid-sentence. 

“Aww, does someone have the sniffles?”

“I do NOT have the sniffles, I’m just allergic to your bullshit.”

“Tsk tsk, such language is very unbecoming of a lady like you.”

“Oh knock it off, don’t act like you haven’t heard me say worse things.”

“Forgive me for forgetting, Your Highness.”

He reached to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes tenderly gazing into her own. She could feel his warmth emanating from him, and something about this felt awfully familiar. Something about his intense blue eyes, his caring touch, this small act as his fingers brushed against her cheek - 

And then it all clicked. 

“It’s you,” she breathed. 

He looked perplexed. “Excuse me?”

“It’s- it’s you, you’re the royal guard, the one from the ball.” 

His face drained of all color as he panicked, stammering, “I-I don’t know, w-what are you talking- I don’t - it’s not what you think -”

Zelda gently cupped his face in both of her hands, green eyes meeting blue. “I don’t think I ever properly repaid you for that night,” she murmured softly as she leaned forward, enveloping his lips in a deep and passionate kiss. She could feel him jolt in surprise, unsure of how to react. Then all of his restraints melted away as he kissed her back with a matched intensity, one hand settling on her waist and the other gently combing through her hair. She felt her heart soar as Link poured his whole life and soul into that kiss, laying all of his vulnerabilities bare.

When they finally parted, the taste of his sweetness still lingered on her lips. His long dark eyelashes fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes, his breath hitched. Suddenly his eyes grew wide as he stumbled backwards, startling Epona. “Oh no no no no no no,” he mumbled as he nervously paced the stall. 

“What’s wrong?” Zelda asked incredulously. 

“What’s wrong?  _ What’s wrong?  _ Everything is wrong! This is treasonous, Zel! I could be executed!”

“It’s not treasonous if I initiated,” she pointed out. 

“Well I shouldn’t have kissed you back, I should have known better, I should have exercised more restraint.”

“Are you saying that you should know more than the future Queen of Hyrule?” she asked, her voice tinged with annoyance. 

“No, no, that’s not what I’m - agh,” he pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to formulate his thoughts. “You’re not understanding, Zel. I love you more than anything, I - all I want is to make you smile, hear you laugh, and to protect you from any harm. And if anyone were to find out about this, I would be at best decommissioned, and at worst executed. I just - I can’t risk losing you. I would gladly die for you, but I would prefer to live for you. You’ve given me a purpose in life, and I don’t want that to go away.” He looked at her, eyes pleading. 

Zelda felt her face going red as she figured out how to respond to this sudden openness.  _ He loves her he loves her he loves her _ \- she shook her head to dispel that mantra repeating in her head. There had to be a logical approach to this. 

“My father said that if anything did not work out with Ganon that he would find me a different suitor,” she said slowly, the gears in her head turning. “You’ve saved my life on multiple occasions, I think I can convince him to allow you to court me. He can be a bit stubborn but he’s not completely unreasonable. And besides, rules like these were made to be broken.” She felt a small ray of hope blossoming. 

Link, on the other hand, did not look so hopeful. “My merit doesn’t matter, it never has. It would be a huge scandal if you chose a bastard over a prince, the King would never allow it.”

Zelda couldn’t hold back her frustration anymore. “Why do you keep bringing up that you’re a bastard? It’s not like you can control how you were born, and you’ve more than made up for it with your service.”

“Because no one ever lets me forget it!” Link snapped, louder than she had ever heard him before. His hands shook and his voice trembled as he tried to contain all the pent up emotion that threatened to spill over. “Everyday, I hear the whispers and the snide comments, I see the looks people give me, I’m reminded that I’ll never be considered their equal. Every time I look in the mirror, I’m reminded that I’ll never be more than a bastard!” he shouted, jabbing a pointed finger at the scar on his face. Zelda was quiet, making connections in her mind and trying to figure out the best way to ask about them. Link seemed to catch on to what she was about to ask, turning away so that she couldn’t see his expression. 

“Link...how did you get your scar?” she hesitatingly asked. 

He remained silent, fiddling with the buckles on Epona’s saddle. 

“Was it Captain Garrett? I don’t care if he’s your father, I’ll report him for that kind of despicable behavior - “

“No, it wasn’t my father,” he mumbled. “He may not be the perfect father, but he’s not abusive. He would never do that.” 

“Then who did this to you?”

He was silent again, slipping off Epona’s saddle and placing it on it’s rack. He moved to slip off her bridle as well. Stroking her back, he sighed deeply and shut his eyes. Finally, he whispered, “I was thirteen. I had just earned my knighthood, the youngest to ever do so. I thought I was such a bigshot, I was too cocky.” He paused, burying his face into Epona’s mane. Zelda waited patiently, not wanting to push him. After a few minutes, he continued. “I was getting ready for training, when Captain Norman approached me. He told me to polish his sword and fetch his horse. I said that he could find a paige to do that for him, it wasn’t my duty. He said, ‘Does it really matter which bastard I choose to do it? You’re the closest one.’ I didn’t like that he associated me with a paige just because of my birth status, so I drew my sword and challenged him to a duel. Stupid thirteen year old me really thought I was defending my honor.” 

He scoffed and shook his head. “Captain Norman may be an insufferable prick, but he is actually an extremely skilled swordsman. I didn’t know what I was getting into. A crowd had formed, watching me get my ass handed to me. Soon I was disarmed and on the ground, with him pointing his sword at me. I admitted defeat, but he didn’t leave. He wanted to teach me a lesson. He -” Link stopped, his voice caught. He tried to speak again, but nothing came out as tears welled up in his eyes. Unable to speak, he continued in sign language. 

_ <He slashed my face. He said to let it be a reminder of what happens when bastards get too arrogant.> _ He paused, hands shaking.  _ <I saw my father in the crowd. He came forward to help me up, but everyone gave him disapproving looks, so he stepped back. I was expected to take care of myself, and him helping me would have been a sign of weakness for both of us.> _ He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again.  _ <I can still see the disappointed look on his face.> _

Zelda didn’t know how to process all of this. She imagined a thirteen year old Link with a soft face and big blue eyes, and the thought of anyone hurting him filled her with an indescribable rage. “You were just a child, how could he do that to you?”

“Displays of power are common in the military. And I was a soldier, it didn’t matter how old I was,” Link said, finally finding his voice again. 

“I need to report Captain Norman, he can’t get away with abusing power like that!” Zelda exclaimed. 

“It wouldn’t do anything, his behavior is what is expected in the military. He has plenty of friends to support him in any accusation against him, and it would only make things worse for me. They don’t appreciate snitches,” Link explained quietly. 

“Then, then - please Link, please let me try to marry you. You’ve done so much to protect me, let me protect you for once.” She cupped his face in her hands. “You weren’t made for fighting, and you know it. You’re too kind-hearted. You deserve to be treated with love and care. Just, let me help you.”

A single tear fell down his cheek. He looked away. “I can’t,” he choked out. “I can’t risk losing you. I’m not strong enough.” 

Zelda stepped back, withdrawing her hands from his face and looking down at her feet. “I understand,” she whispered resignedly. They remained silent for a while, refusing to look at each other. 

Link cleared his throat. “Let me escort you to your room, Princess,” he murmured. 

“Yes, thank you.”

They left the stable in silence, making their way back to the castle. When they arrived in front of her bedroom door, Link bowed and stepped back. “Good night, Your Highness.” Zelda grasped his hand and squeezed it. He looked her in the eyes, a slight underlying sadness peeking through his usual impassive expression. 

“I love you, Link,” she whispered. 

“I love you too, Zelda,” he whispered back.

Letting go of his hand, she went inside her room and closed the door with a soft click. Releasing a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding, she slid down to the ground, her back against the door. 

And finally she let the tears fall. 

\-----------

Link laid his palm against the door, hanging his head. He breathed in, then out, in, out. Summoning what little strength he had left, he tore himself from the door and slowly walked down the hallway, eyes trained on the floor. He saw an immaculate pair of boots appear in front of him before he looked up to see dark blue eyes. He straightened and saluted.

“Captain Garrett.”

“Sir Link.” Captain Garrett gave him a small smile. “I’m happy to see you made it out of the storm safely.”

“Thank you,” Link replied courteously. 

“Well, I hope you have a good night.” Captain Garrett started to walk past him, but slowed as reached Link’s shoulder, leaning in close as he whispered, “And please be careful showing the Princess your affection while on castle grounds.”

Link suddenly went rigid, a cold fear taking over him. “You saw?” he questioned in a strangled voice. 

“Yes, but I won’t report it. Just, please be careful,” he warned, eyes full of concern. 

_ Well there definitely would be no more displays of affection, not if he could help it.  _

“I will,” was all he said.

Captain Garrett nodded. “Good.” And with that he left Link to his own devices. He sighed, and walked back to his own quarters. Creaking open the door, he fumbled for a match to light a lamp. He was greeted with a bare room, like always. But for the first time ever, he felt a sense of loneliness when surveying the emptiness. 

Throwing off his damp clothes and putting on fresh ones, he sunk into his mattress and stared at the ceiling. He wondered how his life got this complicated. Why did his heart ache so much? He was doing the right thing.  _ He was doing the right thing _ , he reassured himself, but the ache refused to go away. 

He closed his eyes, but he just saw a new disappointed face. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had a nickel for every time my update schedule landed on a big American political event, I would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice. 
> 
> Anyway, I've been real excited to write this chapter for a long time, hope you guys liked it!


	9. Disappointment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know for someone that has only played breath of the wild and doesn't know much about the other games I sure like to add a lot of lore

Link arose at the crack of dawn, woken up by the morning declarations of cuccos and the shuffling of the night guard returning to their quarters. He hadn’t been appointed to the night watch last night, but he still didn’t get much sleep. How could he, when all that was on his mind was Zelda? Shaking his head, he tried to forget the warmth of her hands on his face, the softness of her lips on his, the pounding of his heart as she reciprocated his love, the disappointed look on her face as he rejected her.  _ Disappointing. Isn’t that all he ever was? _

He splashed his face with cold water from the wash basin, halting his thoughts from spiraling further. Padding it dry with a towel, he grabbed his clothes and focused all of his attention on what his hands were doing at the moment. They pulled on long, thick socks, then his breeches, tightening a belt around his waist while fumbling with the belt buckle. Then they slipped a long-sleeved tunic over his head. Then his chain mail. Then a short-sleeved outer tunic. Then his arm bracers. Sitting on the edge of his bed, they yanked on his boots. Reaching for his hair tie, they gathered up his unruly hair as best as possible. Finally, they reached for his sword, strapping it to his back. Shit, his hands were out of tasks to do, what now?  _ He never wanted to disappoint her, just protect her… _

Feet, he could focus all of his attention on his feet. They took one step, followed by another, and another, and another, and another. Before he knew it he was in the training yard, standing in line as assignments were given out to the knights. His assignment was weaponry cleaning. It was paige work, but who was he to complain? Shuffling over to the armory, he counted his steps and measured his breaths. If he kept this up, perhaps he could forget…

Buffing out shields and polishing swords proved to be a good distraction. The repetitive motions helped clear his mind. As he wiped off the lather on a sword, he caught his own reflection, eyes settling on the scar that marred the right side of his face. His throat closed tight as the memories came rushing back in - 

“Sir Link.” A gruff voice interrupted his thoughts, causing him to jump, not realizing how lost in thought he had been. Turning to face the voice, he suddenly bolted to his feet and saluted. 

“Captain Norman.”

Captain Norman simply nodded, acknowledging the salute. He thrust out his hand to Link, offering him a crisp white envelope emblazoned with the Royal Crest on the seal. Gingerly taking the envelope, Link stared at it as he held it in his hands, too dumbfounded to open it. 

“You’ve been reassigned,” Captain Norman supplied. He looked at him, then back at the envelope, and finally found the courage to open the letter. The words swam before his eyes, and he squinted to try to read it better. Captain Norman didn’t seem to have the patience to wait for him to finish reading the letter. 

“You’re to be Her Royal Highness’s full-time personal knight, effective immediately. All your other knightly duties are dismissed. You are to report to the Princess’s study as soon as possible to receive your first orders.” 

Link just stared at the letter, puzzled. Captain Norman clapped him on the shoulder, in a way that would normally be read as friendly but felt...off, somehow. More like a reminder of who had the power here. 

“I don’t know how, but you’ve managed to gain the Princess’s...fondness,” he minced the word in a way that made Link feel uneasy.  _ How much did he know?  _ He wasn’t currently in shackles, so it seemed like Captain Norman was just trying to psyche him out more than anything. “Congratulations on your promotion, Sir Link. The entire royal court will be watching, eager to see how far you’ll go in your career,” he said loftily, with a slight edge to his words. He lowered his voice. “Don’t disappoint,” he growled. With that he left, but not without shooting him a final piercing glance before he passed through the doorway. 

_ So much for trying to lie low.  _ Link sighed, putting away his cleaning supplies and pocketing the official letter, straightening his clothes as he readied to leave. Captain Norman definitely seemed to be suspicious of him, but then again when was he ever not? It was fine, Link would just make sure to give him nothing to work with. He would be the perfect stoic knight, purely professional. He would do anything, anything to continue protecting Zelda from all harm. Even if it meant ripping out his heart as he watched her marry another man. It would be fine, he had survived worse. It would be fine.  _ It would be fine. _

He strode down the thickly carpeted hallway, face neutral as he heard the whispers from the castle staff he passed. His ears twitched.  _ News sure spread fast here _ . He finally made it to Zelda’s study, and he straightened and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. The door flung open before he even finished knocking, as if Zelda was just waiting by the door until he came by. She smiled broadly, but quickly changed to a poised look of composure. 

“You may enter, Sir Link,” she said dryly, eyes flitting left and right to make sure no one was watching. As soon as he stepped through the doorway she slammed the door closed and clapped her hands ecstatically, grinning from ear to ear.  _ Goddesses her smile was brilliant _ , Link thought before immediately squashing it. He simply stood at attention, his heels together and hands clasped behind his back. 

  
“Link, please congratulate me on my genius,” she declared proudly. She continued before he could say anything. “I figured that since I can’t marry you and I can’t report Captain Norman, I would simply remove you from that horrible situation and just make you my full-time personal knight. That way you don’t have to deal with Captain Norman anymore, AND I get to spend more time with you! I call that a win-win!” She excitedly hugged him, but he stiffened and stepped back. _He would be purely professional._ Her face fell momentarily, but she quickly hid her disappointment by plastering another big smile on her face, albeit less genuine than before. 

_ It seemed like he wasn’t the only one hiding emotions here.  _ He cleared his throat, breaking his composure for just a moment.

“I don’t have to wear the Royal Guard’s uniform, right? It’s very itchy and uncomfortable,” he asked. Zelda let out a short laugh, seemingly forgetting about the previous awkwardness. 

“No, you don’t have to wear it for your day-to-day duties, just for formal occasions like royal balls and meeting with diplomats. If it makes you feel better, I’ll also be wearing uncomfortable gowns during those times, so it won’t just be you who’s suffering.”

Link stood for a moment, not quite sure what to do next. “What are your orders for me, Your Highness?” he asked, trying not to shift his feet like he usually did when standing in place for too long. _ He was the Princess’s full-time personal knight now, he couldn’t be too fidgety.  _

“Well I’m going to have lunch with my father in about twenty minutes, so we should start heading down to the dining hall soon. He said he had something to talk to me about, though I don’t know how serious it is if he’s not holding an official meeting for it. Also Impa and Purah should be arriving sometime today, so if it’s not too late when they get here we can discuss our research with them. If not, that gives us time to read and relax until dinner. That should be all, not a very action-packed day,” Zelda concluded.

Link strode toward the door, holding it open as he gestured toward it. “Well like you said, we should get going.” Zelda just nodded, and walked through the doorway, pausing a few feet down the hallway. He closed the door behind him, and waited for her to continue. Realization dawned on her. “Oh,” she said softly, averting her eyes to the ground as she walked ahead, Link following five feet behind. He couldn’t be seen walking side-by-side with the Princess, it would be considered improper. 

When they made it to the dining hall, he gave her an encouraging look and a thumbs-up. She smiled, though she fidgeted with the hem of her blouse. Even though this would be a more casual meeting, it always made her nervous to talk to her father, and she wasn’t good at hiding it. Link changed his face to a completely neutral, stony expression as he opened the door, bowing as Zelda passed by. He took his position a few feet behind her chair, making sure to keep a clear view of the door. 

“Zelda, my dear, I’m so glad to see you!” King Rhoam boomed jovially. “Though, I wasn’t expecting your knight to accompany you.” 

“I’ve promoted him to my full-time knight, he will be accompanying me everywhere from now on,” Zelda explained dryly.

“Oh, do you feel unsafe in the castle? Was there a security breach I was not informed about?” the King questioned, concerned. 

“Nothing happened, but it’s better to be proactive rather than wait for something bad to happen. By courting the Prince, there is definitely more attention on me now than before, and possibly not only positive attention. In the words of the esteemed Captain Garrett, ‘Leave no disadvantages,’” Zelda grinned almost smugly. The tips of Link’s ears warmed, not sure why she quoted his father, considering she didn’t seem to like him that much. And that mischievous grin...he wasn’t sure if it was meant for her father or him. 

“Well, that makes sense,” the King conceded. “Speaking of the Prince, that’s what I wanted to speak to you about,” he perked up as he changed the subject. Zelda paused as she stabbed her food, shoulders stiffening as she dreaded whatever it was he was about to say. She coughed. 

“What about him, Father?” she questioned, trying her best to keep her voice even and proper. 

“Well, it’s been eight months since you’ve started courting the Prince, and it seems you two have been getting along splendidly. At least, I can assume it’s going well, considering he hasn’t run away screaming yet, unlike some  _ other  _ noblemen’s sons,” he said pointedly. 

“Lord Dansy deserved it and you know it,” she scoffed. 

“Actually I wasn’t talking about Lord Dansy but now I’m curious about what happened to him.”

“Uh, nothing. Anyway, what were you saying, something about courting the Prince for eight months? Can you believe it has been that long?” Zelda said, quickly changing the subject (though Link made a mental note to ask her about that later, he was curious too now). 

“So, we agreed that you two would court for a year before getting married, considering if things went well. With only four months left, and everything going marvelously, I was thinking that we should start planning the wedding soon. And we can throw a ball as an official announcement to the entire kingdom of your intent to marry. Oh, I’m so excited!” the King exclaimed with glee as Zelda blanched. The fork fell out of her hand, clattering on the plate. She was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever it was she was about to say. 

“Father, remember when you said if anything went wrong with the Prince, that you would find me a different suitor?” she asked quietly. 

Link’s heart stopped. _ Oh no. Oh no no no no no no. She couldn’t possibly be...she agreed not to...he was so dead.  _

“Why yes, Zelda. Is something wrong? If so, don’t worry, I’ve got a long list of noblemen’s sons with great connections who would love to court the Princess of Hyrule,” the King reassured. Zelda remained quiet, glancing over at Link and locking eyes for a moment. He didn’t know if she saw the fear that was surely in his eyes. She sighed defeatedly and turned away. 

“No Father, everything is perfect. I was just checking to see if you remembered,” she mumbled. She kept her eyes on her plate, only pushing her food around instead of eating.

“That’s great! We’ll start preparations immediately. We should be able to hold the ball in about a month’s time. I'll invite Chief Urbosa and Prince Ganondorf as soon as possible, and get their suites ready for them. We’ll show them all the hospitality Hyrule has to offer!” the King gestured excitedly, almost knocking over a wine glass.

At that moment someone rushed through the door, setting Link on guard, hand ready on the hilt of his sword. He relaxed when he realized it was just a messenger. 

“I would like to inform Your Royal Highnesses that Lady Impa and Lady Purah have arrived, and request an audience with the Princess.”

Zelda shot out of her chair, propriety only an afterthought. “I’m sorry Father, but it seems I must go now. It was a pleasure speaking with you.” Turning to the messenger, she ordered, “Tell Lady Impa and Lady Purah to meet me in my study.” And with that she was out like a loose cannon ball, Link fumbling a short bow to the King before following after her. 

\------------------

“Impa! Purah! I’m so glad to see you both!” Zelda exclaimed, tackling them with a hug. The two Sheikah sisters, expecting this kind of greeting, only swayed a little under her weight. 

“Aww, thanks Zellie. How’s our favorite little scientist doing?” Purah asked, smiling brightly from ear to ear. 

“I’m doing great, now that you’re here! I’ve got so much to talk to you about!”

“And so do we,” Impa chimed in. “But first, who is this quiet fellow with you?” she asked, eyeing Link who stood at attention next to the study door. 

“That’s Link, my personal knight and my research assistant. He helped me translate the engravings in the Gerudo Desert!”

“Oh, then he better get his butt over here, we’ve got a lot to talk about and we don’t want to say it twice,” Purah demanded, waving Link over. He glanced left and right before awkwardly shuffling over to the desk that they were all standing around. 

Impa pulled out some notes, straightening them out before beginning. “So, when you first contacted us about the engravings in the Gerudo Desert, we were, to say the least, intrigued. If these engravings are as old as you think they are, how come no one has studied them yet? Were they just recently unearthed from the sand, or just simply dismissed as graffiti? After cross-checking the text we confirmed Link’s translation to be accurate. While definitely a break-through, it is unfortunately very vague, and we had hoped that the cross-checking would have given us more to work with. Though after more research and discussion, we believe we might have some sort of an explanation.”

She paused, looking both Zelda and Link in the eyes. Zelda was nearly bubbling over with excited anticipation, whereas Link just attentively listened. “As Sheikah, we hold equal importance to science and spirituality. Purah here is the lead scientist at the Hateno Research Lab, and is on the cutting edge of technological advancement. She will explain the scientific interpretations she came up with.”

“Thanks sis,” Purah responded, fishing something out of her pockets. “Hold on, I know I brought them- ah, there! Ta-da!” She proudly presented what looked to be two small black disks. Link quirked an eyebrow while Zelda squinted at them, reaching out to poke them with an inquisitive finger. “What are they?” she asked, giving up. 

“Magnets!” Purah exclaimed. “So basically, we can use these to describe the Triforce in theory. From what we understand from a scientific standpoint, the Triforce consists of an immense amount of energy that is constantly trying to break apart. It’s incredibly powerful while also being incredibly fragile, it needs a perfect balance to function. Now the engravings said something about all three pieces needing a direction or else the whole thing falls apart. The word ‘direction’ tripped me up for a second, but then I started thinking about magnetic polar fields. You see, when magnets are facing the right ‘direction,’” Purah held a magnet in each hand, bringing them in closer to each other until they snapped together, “they naturally gravitate to each other. Their fields can be so strong that it’s hard to break them apart when they’re facing the correct direction.” She demonstrated by trying to pull apart the magnets, using significant force before they finally broke apart. “But when they’re facing the wrong ‘direction,’” she reversed the disks, bringing them together until they stopped, seemingly separated by an invisible wall, “they repel each other. Try as I might, it’s impossible for me to get them to stick together.”

She put away the magnets and took out a small diagram of the Triforce with circles and pluses and minuses superimposed on it. “So my theory is that the Triforce is a triple magnetic field which needs to be balanced by facing attracting fields and maintaining it, or else it repels itself and breaks apart, scattering the energy.”

Zelda studied the diagram, rubbing her chin with her thumb as she processed the information. “It makes sense scientifically, but I don’t see why the three parts are referred to as Courage, Wisdom, and Power, or why it was usually controlled by the princesses of the past.”

“And that’s where I come in,” Impa interjected. “As the Village Leader of Kakariko, I’ve spent my whole life attuning myself to spirits, as well as working to keep our history and culture alive. While the Triforce may very well be magnetic fields, I believe that they’re fields that can only be seen and manipulated by those blessed by Hylia or claimed by Demise. And while the magnetic fields need a direction in order to remain balanced, so do Courage, Wisdom, and Power. Rhetorically speaking, Courage without a direction is just Recklessness, and Power without a  direction is just Chaos. Wisdom is a bit trickier to define, because I’m not sure what Wisdom without a direction would be. Nevertheless, any of those attributes without a direction or purpose become negative energies and the Triforce can not form completely.”

“Wisdom is used to help others. If one seeks Wisdom just for the sake of wisdom, and not for the love and care of others, it becomes cold and selfish. So I believe Wisdom without direction is just Heartlessness,” Zelda reasoned, piecing the words together slowly. She glanced at Impa, looking for her approval. Impa seemed impressed. 

“That would make sense, especially since the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom has always been a Princess of Hyrule, someone who would need love and care for her people. Though one thing is bothering me,” Impa pondered. “The Triforce has technically never been balanced, considering the wielder of the Triforce of Power has always been corrupt. Yet previous Princesses have utilized its power to seal away the Evil. I have a theory, but it’s not based on much and is mostly conjecture.”

“Let’s hear it,” Zelda encouraged. 

“Well, it doesn’t make sense that each incarnation of the holder of Wisdom seals away the Evil only for the Evil to return again in another Age. If it was sealed away shouldn’t it not return? So, my theory is that since the Triforce is never fully balanced, it isn’t being used at full force, thus only temporarily sealing away the Evil. In order for the Evil to be fully sealed away, the holder of Power needs to channel it in the right direction, and not for the purpose of Evil. Once the Triforce is finally balanced, the cycle of reincarnation will be over.”

“That is a sound theory, Impa. Though the carvings do mention that the ‘First Prince of Gerudo has the Power for Calamity and Balance.’ The first Gerudo Prince was over ten thousand years ago, and he tried to bring about Calamity. So it might be possible that this engraving is just talking about those past events, it has already happened,” Zelda reasoned. 

“It’s possible, but the presence of Old and Middle Hylian scripts points to the engraving being less than ten thousand years old, significantly after what happened with the first Prince of Gerudo. That, coupled with the vague wording, could mean it’s supposed to be the first Prince of Gerudo  _ in a while.  _ So while it could just be talking about past events, it could also be predicting future events,” Impa explained. 

“So, that’s what we have to say. Did you guys find out anything with your research?” Purah questioned, her red-brown eyes lighting up in curiosity. 

Zelda deflated a little. She realized that they didn’t actually find out much,  _ Goddesses she was so inadequate. She was a no good princess and now she was a no good scientist? _ She had to stop letting herself get...distracted. 

“Well we checked out a shrine yesterday, but we couldn’t get it to open and had to leave early due to inclement weather. It seemed to have a spot for some sort of key, and I felt a sort of...humming underneath my fingers when I touched it. I tried to whistle some ancient ocarina song fragments to get it to open but it didn’t budge. Link hypothesized that it needed the Master Sword to open, but we’re not sure if it’s even real or still around,” Zelda recounted. 

“I think you’re on the right track by thinking the shrines have something to do with the Hero of Courage,” Impa conjectured. “Though I believe you’ll need some form of Sheikah tech to open the shrines. Purah has been working on reconstructing a prototype of the ancient Sheikah Slate, which might help. Did you bring that with you, Purah?” 

“You bet I did!” Purah declared proudly, whipping out a black and orange slate from her bag. “I’ve put this together using different parts I’ve found during my research and travels, and it looks just like the ancient ones we’ve unearthed! But, I haven’t been able to get it to work. I can’t seem to find the right power source.” Holding it out to Zelda, she gestured for her to check it out. 

Gently holding the slate, she ran her fingers over the glass screen and the engravings on the sides. She held her breath in anticipation as she held down the button on top of the screen. Nothing. What did she expect? Purah couldn’t get it to work, why would she? She felt the same humming under fingertips as she did at the shrine, and she sensed some sort of...potential, just waiting to be unlocked. It felt like it was waiting for  _ her  _ to do something. 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Link intently staring at the slate, eyebrows furrowed and head slightly cocked to the side. His ears twitched a bit, like he was listening for something. It was honestly very adorable, but she tried to squash that feeling. 

“Would you like to look at it?” she asked, offering it out to him. His eyes went wide, but he slowly nodded as he reached out for it. He concentrated on the screen, the cogs in his brain spinning hard as he inspected the slate. Suddenly the slate beeped and the screen lit up a bright blue, eliciting a yelp from Link as he dropped the slate. Zelda dove for the slate, barely catching it before it hit the ground. The screen was black again. 

“Link, what did you?” she asked hesitatingly, not sure what just happened. He shrunk under the gaze of three sets of eyes, looking very much like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. His breathing came out heavy and uneven as he remained silent. 

“Can you do it again?” Purah asked gently. Zelda held out the slate to him, and he looked at it like it would bite him. 

“It’s okay, you’re not in trouble,” she murmured reassuringly, gently taking his hands and wrapping them around the slate. His breathing stopped completely this time as he stared at the slate in his hands, the black screen staring back at him. He pressed the button on top. Nothing. They all watched intently for a few minutes, until it became clear that whatever happened wasn’t going to happen again. 

“Must’ve been a fluke,” Purah reasoned as she took the slate back. “Maybe it’s motion-controlled? Or needs a different wiring? I’ll have to study it more back at the lab,” she concluded, stuffing it back into her bag. 

“Well, we should be getting settled in our rooms. If you have any questions or updates, you know where to find us,” Impa said, gathering her notes and gesturing her sister towards the door. 

“Or you can just hang out with us when you don’t want to deal with these boring castle people!” Purah chirped. Impa elbowed her sharply. “What? You said yourself that castle folk wouldn’t know good conversation if it hit them upside the head!” Their bickering faded as they walked down the hall, leaving Link and Zelda alone in her study. 

“What was that all about?” Zelda asked, hoping he would feel more comfortable talking about it now that they were alone. He just shrugged and turned away, closing himself off as he remained silent. 

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. He had managed to do something she could not, and he wasn’t even going to talk to her about it.  _ Had she really damaged their relationship that bad? _ She shook her head to rid herself of that thought.  _ No, she was overthinking it, he was just overwhelmed at the moment and he would open up more later. They were friends, she just had to trust him. They were still friends...right?  _

“Well, let’s hit the library. We’ve got a lot to research,” she said resolutely. She marched out of her study, this time not pausing for Link to catch up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of hard for me to write since its more of a set-up chapter, but the next ones should be more interesting and dramatic! We're getting close to the final act!


	10. My Only Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So after doing some chapter planning it looks like this fic is gonna be 15 chapters long! A lot of stuff is about to go down in these next 5 chapters ;) However, I think I might change the update schedule to every other Wednesday instead of every Wednesday. I do have a lot of stuff coming up in my personal life right now, and I also want to make sure that these next chapters are the best that they can be! Thank y'all for following this story so far!

The wind whistled through the canyon walls, echoing eerily. It enhanced the feeling of loneliness while at the same time threatening that someone, somewhere was waiting, watching. Ganon was used to never feeling alone, but this felt different. He had to be close. 

He strode with confidence, dual scimitars sheathed and hands curled loosely at his sides. His deep red flowing ponytail swung gently in the breeze. The bracelets adorning his wrists and ankles jingled softly, adding to the quiet symphony of the canyon. His face was neutral, almost as impassive as Zelda’s knight. The only thing that gave away his high alert was the slightest twitch of the tips of his ears, listening to every shift of every grain of sand. 

Casually he unsheathed one scimitar, twirling it in his hand before forcefully stabbing it into the canyon wall, where a Yiga Clan scout appeared in a shower of cards. They yelped as the blade drove through their shoulder, pinning them to the wall. Without missing a beat, Ganon used his free hand to unsheath the other scimitar, slicing in an arc behind him. Another Yiga Clan scout hissed as the blade made contact. Fluidly retracting both blades, he danced through the canyon, confidently cutting down scouts before they even appeared. Feeling the ground rumble beneath his feet, he paused, waiting for the stone pillars to sprout underneath him. Using that momentum, he launched into the air, raising both blades and raining them down on the Yiga Blademaster who appeared below him. 

“What do you think you’re doing here, cutting down my men like that?” an irritated voice cried out. Ganon stood proudly, gripping his blades as a potbellied Yiga Clan member appeared in an explosion of cards. The Yiga crossed his arms and huffed. “Well I hope you enjoyed your game, because we’re gonna end it now.” More Yiga scouts and archers appeared, filling the canyon and surrounding Ganon. Unfazed, Ganon transferred both blades to one hand, stabbing them into the ground in front of him. He backed away and held up his hands. 

“I’m not here to fight, Master Kohga,” he declared. 

“Oh really, when have you Gerudo ever come here except to fight?” Master Kohga sneered. 

“I believe we can make a deal,” Ganon continued. 

“A deal? Hah!” Master Kohga laughed. “What could you possibly bring to the table? We’ve heard of you before. The Prince who lives in his aunt’s shadow, not allowed to do anything for fear of corruption, like the Prince before him. You have no power in your own land, what makes you think you have power here?”

Ganon swallowed, a moment of vulnerability before continuing, voice cracking slightly. “Because I have something you want, something I’m trying to get rid of.”

Master Kohga cocked his head to the side, intrigued. “Oh? Do go on.” 

“I have the Calamity inside of me. I want you to take it out. I don’t care what you do with it once you’ve taken it out, I just want it gone. Do we have a deal?”

Silence filled the canyon as Ganon waited for a response. Master Kohga snorted, before breaking out into a full on laugh. Laughter spread infectiously, until the canyon walls reverberated with raucous laughter. 

“You? Have the Calamity? Whoo that rich!” Master Khoga jeered, still laughing. 

Ganon furrowed his eyebrows, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth. “What’s so funny about that?”

“The Calamity always chooses the wielder of the Triforce of Power as a receptacle, and as I said, you’re the farthest thing from holding power. The Calamity would have better luck possessing a milk maid!” He broke out into another round of laughter. 

Ganon could feel the anger rising in him. Small green flickers of electricity danced around his fingertips, which went unnoticed by the Yiga. 

“So you’re not going to even consider my deal?” Ganon asked, struggling to keep his voice level. 

“Why would we? The Calamity would be stupider than a cucco to choose you as its receptacle! No, instead we’re gonna kill you while you’re here. Imagine the leverage we could get from Chief Urbosa if she found out we wiped out the last of her family!” Master Kohga did an excited little dance, and the other Yiga readied their weapons. “Get him!” he ordered, jabbing a finger at Ganon. They all charged at once, whooping and hollering. 

BOOM BOOM CRACK! 

Green lightning hailed from above, striking down every single Yiga soldier except for Master Kohga. He yelped as he jumped, shuddering when he looked up and saw the sight before him. 

Ganon strode calmly forward, eyes glowing bright red as electricity fizzled around him, completely unaffecting him. He reached down and yanked the scimitars from the ground, twirling them in both hands as he approached Master Kohga. Holding one blade up to his throat and the other pointed at his voluminous belly, he snarled. 

“How dare you question my choices?” Ganon boomed, his voice sounding layered and containing multitudes. Master Kohga trembled. 

“I- I’m so sorry, sir, I meant no disrespect to  _ you _ ,” he stammered meekly. “Sure-surely you m-must understand -”

“Kneel before your master!” Ganon demanded. He quickly dropped to his knees. With a blade still at his throat, he saw a bright red triforce glowing on the back of Ganon’s right hand. 

Master Kohga gasped. “So it’s true; you  _ are  _ the wielder of the Triforce of Power.”

Suddenly the scimitars clattered to the ground. Looking up, he saw that Ganon’s eyes had returned to their normal brown, and he was clutching his right hand while breathing heavily. Fear was written plainly on his face. He had never been so vulnerable. 

“Please, help me,” he begged. 

Master Kohga stared, dumbfounded. Ganon, the wielder of the Triforce of Power, the receptacle for the Calamity, the person who had taken out his soldiers in a manner of minutes; he was asking _ him _ for  _ help _ ?

He sighed. “Sure kid, I’ll try to help. But I can’t make any promises that it’ll work. The Calamity chose you for a reason, and he’s not gonna give you up that easily.”

“I know. But you Yiga used to be part of the renowned Sheikah tribe. I’m sure you can figure something out.”

“Why come to us? Why not just go to the Sheikah directly?” Master Kohga asked. 

“Because the Sheikah are still loyal to the Royal Family. I can’t risk them finding out. I can’t risk Zelda finding out,” he added softly. 

Both of them were quiet for a moment, letting the situation sink in. Finally Master Kohga grunted as he heaved himself up, waving at Ganon to follow him. “C’mon, there’s a few rituals we can try out together. Hopefully we can get this to work, the Calamity deserves a better receptacle than you.” As they walked together, he couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Never did I ever expect to be working _ with  _ the Gerudo. Especially to help the wielder of the Triforce of Power to get _ rid of  _ the Calamity.”

“Trust me, this was not my first choice,” Ganon sighed. “But it seems to be my only choice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this chapter being a little shorter than usual, but the next chapters should be juicier ;) Also just wanted to give more attention to my favorite Prince :D


	11. I Need You

Zelda stood uncomfortably with her arms stretched out as the seamstress adjusted the fit of the bodice on her ball gown. She huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Dress fittings were always a nightmare. Why did it matter if the dress perfectly fit her waist or not? It was often more comfortable before they adjusted it. But apparently showing the exact curves of her silhouette mattered more than her ability to breathe and move. 

“You look beautiful, Little Bird,” Urbosa said tenderly, smiling proudly at Zelda like she was her own daughter. Zelda just sighed impatiently.

“How much longer will this be?” she asked brusquely. 

“Almost done, Your Highness,” the seamstress chirped, used to the Princess’s impatience at this point. Zelda just groaned as she lolled her head back. 

“I know this is boring, Zelda, but your father wants you to look your best for the ball,” Urbosa explained. “I can make it up to you by taking you for a treat in Castle Town, if you like.”

Zelda thought for a moment. She hadn’t had a chance to just have fun with Urbosa since she was a kid. She smiled. “I would like that.” 

At that moment there was a sharp rap at the door. Before Zelda had a chance to say anything, the Royal Designer whisked in, with a startled Link on her heels. 

“I sure hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” she apologized nonchalantly, not like she actually cared if she did. Link looked helplessly at her, wordlessly conveying that he tried to stop her but couldn’t do anything about it. She giggled at his bewildered face. 

“No, you’re fine. Sir Link, you’re excused,” she dismissed. He nodded and bowed shortly before returning to his post outside the door. The Royal Designer turned to Zelda, portfolio in hand. 

“I know it’s a little early, but I thought I’d get your input on some sketches I drew up for your wedding gown,” she said eagerly, pushing the portfolio into her hands. She steadied herself as she opened the portfolio, thumbing through the pages. There were so many options, all dramatically different from each other. She felt her stomach turn and her throat close up, struggling to breathe as her mind quickly shuffled through a variety of thoughts and emotions. It was all so much so fast. She sat down, steadying herself as her head spun. 

“Are you okay, Little Bird?” Urbosa asked, concerned as she rose to her feet and walked over to Zelda, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

She took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied. Urbosa didn’t seem to buy it but didn’t push it. The Royal Designer didn’t seem to notice any of this as she prattled on. 

“So I want to fuse Gerudo and Hylian fashion elements to symbolize the two nations coming together through this mariage. I quite like the flowing sleeves and overstated jewelry of Gerudo fashion, and the use of layers in Hylian fashion. Honestly my favorites are design numbers four and twelve, but that’s just me. What do you think, Your Highness?”

“I-I need some time to thoroughly look over these and..process them. You know, do them proper justice in my consideration,” Zelda answered weakly.

“Okay, I’ll leave the portfolio with you so that you can take a closer look. Is there anything else I can help you with? Any ideas you want incorporated into the designs?” she pressed on. 

“No, no, it’s okay,” she muttered, lazily waving a hand in the designer’s general direction. Urbosa furrowed her eyebrows, straightening up as she made a decision. 

“All right, all of you, out of the room. The Princess needs space,” she ordered. 

“I just have a few more tweaks to add to the ball gown -” the seamstress started.

“You too. Out. Now,” she barked. Both the seamstress and the designer scurried out of the room, not wanting to face Urbosa’s wrath. Once the door clicked shut Urbosa turned to Zelda, eyes softening. Leaning down, she tugged at the laces on Zelda’s dress, allowing her to let out a sigh of relief as she breathed easier. 

“What’s on your mind, Little Bird?” she asked softly, sitting down next to her. 

“Nothing, everything’s fine,” she muttered, looking away. 

“You may be able to hide your feelings from everyone else, but you can’t fool me,” she said pointedly. “Now, what’s wrong. 

Zelda sighed. Urbosa was too observant for her liking. 

“It’s just...this whole wedding...it's all happening so fast. I feel overwhelmed.” 

“You knew this was going to happen for almost a year, why do you feel overwhelmed?” she pressed, feeling like there was more to this than Zelda was letting on. 

“Well, marriage feels like such an adult thing to do, and I...I still feel so young, so inexperienced. Is marriage really all that I can do to help my kingdom at this age?” she asked, looking helplessly up at Urbosa. She smiled warmly at her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. 

“You are worth much more than who you marry, Zelda. Unfortunately your father and Hyrule have a very outdated idea of what a princess’s worth is. I’ve tried to get him to understand, to push back the wedding, but he insists that now is as good a time as ever,” she explained, sighing. “And it doesn’t help that my nephew is also excited for the wedding. He’s head-over-heels for you, to say the least.” She smiled slightly at this. “Have you tried sharing these feelings with your father? Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

“My father never listens to me,” Zelda snapped sharply. Seeing Urbosa slightly taken aback by her outburst, she softened her voice before continuing. “I’ve tried to talk to him before, about many things I’m worried about, and he always dismisses it. Once he’s gotten an idea in his head it’s very hard to get him to change his mind.”

Urbosa hummed, thinking. “Have you tried talking to Ganon about this? He’s definitely a lot more reasonable than your father. Maybe if you both want to postpone, your father will actually listen.”

Zelda tilted her head, considering. “I never thought of that. But…” she pressed her lips together and furrowed her brows, trying to figure out how to express her thoughts. 

“Did my mother love my father, or did they just get married because it was politically advantageous?” she suddenly asked, seemingly changing the subject. Urbosa froze. 

“Why do you ask?” she questioned cautiously. 

“I was just wondering,” Zelda understated. 

Urbosa was quiet, shifting in her seat as she carefully tread around what seemed like a difficult subject. 

“It was an arranged marriage, for sure,” she finally said, speaking hesitatingly. “You father was...not her first choice. But...over time...they did grow a deep fondness for each other. They were a team, and they worked well together.” 

“But fondness is not the same as love,” Zelda insisted. Urbosa raised her eyebrows, surprised at her impudence. An affectionate smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. 

“You’re extremely sharp-minded. Just as you can’t hide anything from me, I can’t hide anything from you,” she remarked, impressed. “No, I don’t think your mother ever fully loved your father. But she loved you, with all her heart. And she was grateful to your father for providing you to her, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way. That I am certain of.” 

Zelda was quiet as she processed that information. She fiddled with the heavy fabric of the ball gown. Urbosa looked like she wanted to ask her something, but ultimately decided against it. 

“Urbosa?” Zelda asked in a small voice. 

“Yes, Little Bird?”

“Can we go to Castle Town now? I could use some fresh air.” With this she flashed a mischievous grin. “And you owe me a treat.” 

Urbosa laughed a hearty laugh. “Of course, my dear.” 

\--------------

Zelda soaked up everything Castle Town had to offer. It wasn’t as bustling and hectic as Gerudo Town but it was still lively. The smell of fresh-baked bread floated through the air, and the sound of upbeat music and merchants advertising their goods rang in her ears. Colorful banners fluttered in the breeze, bright against the blue sky. She smiled broadly as excitedly took it all in. 

“Are you having fun, my dear?” Urbosa asked, smiling fondly as Zelda bounced ecstatically, trying to decide what to do first.

“Of course! Any time spent with you is fun, Urbosa!” Zelda exclaimed, and Urbosa’s gaze softened at that. 

Link, on the other hand, shifted nervously as he scanned the area for any potential threats. His ears twitched as he listened attentively, trying to sort out the different sounds from each other. He picked at the skin on his thumb almost obsessively. Urbosa laid a hand on his shoulder and he jumped. 

“Hey kid, relax. Consider this a day off for you too. I can handle any threat to the Princess myself. Just have fun,” she reassured. He looked up at her questioningly, then away, still picking at the skin on his thumb. 

Zelda suddenly bolted towards a baker’s stall, Link following just as quickly after her. Urbosa just laughed and casually walked after them. 

“Look, Link, these pastries look like little bears! Aren’t they so cute?” He peered at them over her shoulder, and a small smile escaped as he laid his eyes on them. 

“I’ll take three of those,” she told the baker, pointing at the bear-pastries. He nodded and wrapped three pastries in parchment and handed them over as she gave him a few rupees. 

“Oooh, they’re still warm,” she hummed as she held the pastry in her hands. Glancing over at Link, she saw him staring at the pastry with an overly serious look, and figured she would have to amend that. This was supposed to be a fun outing, after all. 

She held the pastry up to her face and pretended to struggle, eyes wide with faux-fear. “Link, help, I’m being attacked by a vicious bear ahhhhh!”

Turning towards her, he grabbed her hands and pulled them towards him, taking a bite out of the bear-pastry. A little bit of chocolate clung to his lower lip. He smiled mischievously. 

“There, threat neutralized,” he said softly. It had been a while since he had talked to her, and Zelda was grateful to see him being playful again. She couldn’t help but feel a warm blush spreading across her face as she thought about how adorable he looked, and wishing she could taste the chocolate on his lip…

She quickly turned away so that he couldn’t see how red she was getting. Awkwardly clearing her throat, she headed over to the next stall, pretending to be interested in the pottery being sold there. 

As the sun climbed across the sky, Zelda made sure to visit as many stalls as possible, chatting with random townspeople and smiling ear-to-ear. This was the most time she had spent in Castle Town in a while, and she made sure to make every moment count. And as the day wore on, she saw Link starting to relax more and more, migrating from five feet behind her to directly beside her. Urbosa watched on, smiling warmly as she saw her Little Bird be more like her authentic self, not just the perfect princess that was always expected of her. 

As they strolled through the town’s square, Link paused at a certain stall that caught his eye. Glancing to his left, he saw Zelda talking with a little girl. Looking back at the stall, he tried to decide whether or not he should approach it. It was absolutely overflowing with fresh flowers, all of varying colors and sizes. The sweet smell wafted over to him, and he found himself feeling at peace. Feeling compelled, his feet dragged him over to the stall. 

“Hello young man, any flowers catch your fancy? Perhaps a bouquet for your sweetheart?” the vendor inquired. Link blushed slightly as he looked over the flowers, searching for a reason he felt compelled to stop by here. 

His gaze landed on a flower crown with bright green, blue, and pink blossoms. He knew it would go perfectly with a certain someone’s golden hair and moss green eyes. 

“How much is this?” he asked, pointing at the flower crown. 

“Good eye, lad! That’ll be three hundred and fifty rupees.” 

Link searched his pockets and found himself coming up short. Sighing dejectedly, he started to walk away, but he bumped into someone behind him. 

“Sorry,” he apologized quickly, looking up to Urbosa smiling down at him. 

“Did you want to buy some flowers?” she asked gently, and he nervously shifted his feet and looked away as he nodded. 

“Here, I’ll pay for this young man’s order if you don’t mind,” she offered to the vendor, who nodded and took her rupees as he handed her the flower crown. She gave it to Link and winked at him. 

“This will look lovely on the Princess,” she said knowingly. He blushed even harder and held the flower crown close to his chest. Shyly approaching Zelda, he gently tapped on her shoulder to get her attention. When she turned to face him, eyes questioning, he presented her with the flower crown. 

“Oh Link! Thank you! It’s beautiful!” she breathed. He reached up, standing on his tippy toes as he carefully placed the crown on her head and tied the ribbon around the base of her head. She gently touched the flowers and smiled. 

“How do I look?” she asked, giving a small spin. 

“Beautiful,” he murmured under his breath. He wasn’t sure if she heard him, which he was fine with. Her face suddenly lit up with an idea as she ran to the stall. He saw her talking animatedly to the vendor and digging into her pockets for rupees before excitedly turning back to him. She held a crown with blue forget-me-nots and bright yellow sunflowers. He bowed his head as she placed it on him, tying the ribbon snugly. 

“There! We match!” she giggled. Her smile was brighter than the sun, and his heart stopped momentarily. 

Their ears perked up at the jaunty sound of a fiddle. A band had gotten up on a stage in the middle of the square, playing lively tunes as townsfolk formed a dance circle. They got closer to watch everyone dancing and having fun. Zelda sighed as she looked on longingly. 

“If only royal balls were this fun. They’re always so stuffy and boring,” she complained. “I don’t know why they insist on these rigid rules of propriety, it doesn’t seem to benefit anyone.” She glanced at him with an unreadable expression. 

Suddenly they found themselves pushed into the center of the circle, townsfolk clapping and cheering them on. Link looked around nervously, backing away as he tried to find an out. He never liked this much attention on him. He saw Zelda’s hand offered to him, and he looked up to see her grinning broadly at him. 

“Come on! Let’s dance!” she exclaimed excitedly. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I don’t know how to dance,” he mumbled. 

“That’s okay, just follow my lead!” she said, grabbing both of his hands and swinging him around in a circle. He was nervous and stiff at first, but soon he relaxed into the rhythm. He just focused on Zelda’s smiling face, lost in her eyes as they spun around and around. The rest of the world melted away, all that mattered was Zelda. He barely heard the music or the crowd, it was all just background noise at this point. 

He didn’t even notice that the song had ended until Zelda stopped and he crashed into her, only a hair’s breadth distance between them as they breathed heavily. He stared into her deep green eyes, heart pounding loud in his ears as his hands burned in the warmth of hers. Their breaths mingled together as his eyes flicked between her eyes and her lips. He felt himself leaning imperceptibly into her, as if drawn by a magnet. 

Suddenly cold reality rained down on Link as he realized what was happening, and he jumped back like he was electrocuted. His hands shook as he backed away, trying to distance himself as Zelda reached out to him. 

“Link, wait - “ she begged. He took off at a sprint, breaking through the crowd and bolting down the winding streets. She ran after him, shouting after him as he slipped away from her. She stopped and panted, losing sight of him. 

“Have you seen a short, blonde, Hylian man with a scar over his right eye run through here?” she asked a random passerby. They shook their head no, and she continued to wander through the town, asking anybody and everybody if they had seen Link. she finally found luck at a fish vendor. 

“Yeah, he almost damn knocked over my cart,” he complained gruffly. 

“Where did he go?” she asked hurriedly. 

“That way,” he jabbed with a finger to her right, pointing towards an alley. 

“Thank you!” she said quickly as she took off in that direction. 

Jogging down the alley, she heard heavy breathing and turned toward the sound. She saw a familiar pair of boots sticking out from behind a large box. Slowing down, she gently crept up to Link, trying not to startle him. He had his head buried in his hands as his whole body shook. 

“Hey,” she said softly, reaching to hold his hands. 

“Don’t touch me!” he hissed as he yanked his hands out of hers. She stepped back, shocked at his outburst. She looked down at her hands and back at him, ears drooping. 

“Link, I didn’t mean -”

“Just, leave me alone right now, okay?” he snapped. His blue eyes burned with anger and sadness. She bit her lip and nodded, defeated. 

“Okay. I’ll see you back at the castle,” she said softly, barely audible. She turned and left, shoulders sagging as she felt the weight of the world returning. 

When she finally found Urbosa again she sunk into her arms, seeking comfort. 

“What’s wrong, my darling? Where’s Link?” she asked, concerned, as she gently stroked Zelda’s hair.

“He’s fine, we’ll meet back up at the castle,” Zelda reassured, before taking a deep breath herself. “Urbosa, I think I might’ve messed everything up.”

“Oh,” she said softly. “Well, if you follow your heart, everything will turn out right in the end,” she advised, pausing for a moment before lowering her voice. “Don’t make the same mistakes I did.” 

“What?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked up at Urbosa in confusion. 

“Don’t forsake love in the name of propriety,” she answered cryptically. Zelda didn’t press any further, instead burying her face into Urbosa’s shoulder. 

\-----------------

Zelda sat in front of her vanity, staring at a reflection that didn’t feel like her own. Her hair was curled in loose waves falling over her shoulders, her usual braid was replaced with a golden crown, and her face was done up with rosy makeup. Her tight ball gown constricted her breathing and forced her to sit up straight, like a proper princess. 

A soft rap echoed on her bedroom door. She sighed. There was no putting this off any longer. Collecting her skirts she approached the door, putting on a smile so that her betrothed wouldn’t worry about her. Though when she opened the door, she was greeted not by a tall Gerudo man but a short Hylian in a Royal Guard’s uniform. 

“Link?” she asked, confused. “I thought the Prince was supposed to escort me to the ball?”

“The Prince is not feeling too well at the moment, he says he’ll meet you at the ball,” he answered matter-of-factly, almost making it a point to not look at her directly. 

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” She remembered how nauseous Ganon had looked when he had arrived at the castle a couple days ago. Perhaps the travel had worn him out, or maybe he had eaten something that was less than stellar for his stomach. 

“Are you ready?” he asked, offering her his arm. 

She nodded, and gingerly laced her hand through the crook of his elbow, and tried not to think about his warmth. They walked quietly down the hall, only the soft thudding of their footsteps on the thick carpet breaking up the silence between them. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He stood sternly, back straight and uniform neatly pressed. He looked more like his father now than the unruly boy she had met that one night almost a year ago. Her heart ached at the thought. 

The sounds of festivities grew louder as they approached the ballroom. Blood pounded in Zelda’s ears as she took deep, calming breaths.  _ She’s done this for a thousand times before, why would now be any different? Why did the walls feel like they were closing in on her all of a sudden? Breathe, Zelda, breathe.  _

Link gave her a light, reassuring squeeze of her hand before stepping back, hand on the door handle as he raised a questioning eyebrow to her. Swallowing hard, she nodded.He swung open the door and bowed to her as she walked past him. 

Dramatic fanfare exploded through the room as she regally stepped forward, surveying the guests from her high spot on top of the stairs. As the music quieted, a royal herald cleared his throat. 

“Introducing Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, and soon-to-be Princess-Consort of Gerudo!” 

Loud applause erupted from the crowd as she descended the stairs, holding her head high and keeping her face neutral. The crowd parted as she walked down to the center of the ballroom, where she saw her betrothed standing tall above the rest. He smiled brightly, adorned in glittering jewels and rich fabrics, thick hair pulled back with intricate braids and ties. He looked every inch of the prince he was, proud, confident, and demanding of attention. Though Zelda could see the kindness and warmth in his eyes, the sincerity of his smile.  _ He deserved someone who truly loved him.  _

Ganon bowed to her as she curtsied, and the crowd hushed in anticipation. Light strings filled the air as he offered a hand to her. 

“May I have this dance?” he asked courteously, his voice a low timbre and his eyes sparkling. 

“Of course,” she answered. It’s not like she could deny him anyway, the first dance was reserved for the engaged couple. 

He swept her up in her arms, twirling her around the dance floor as everyone watched. She attempted some idle conversation to distract her from the unnerving gaze off the crowd. 

“Are you feeling any better? Sir Link told me that you weren’t feeling great earlier.”

“Oh, that,” he said sheepishly. “Just a little upset stomach, nothing more. It must have been some remaining illness from whatever it was I contracted from my travel over here. But yes, I am feeling better, thank you for your concern.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, before silence fell between them once again. They continued dancing for a bit before Ganon piped up. 

“How are you doing, my dear? Everything well since I last saw you?”

She hesitated, wondering if she should bring up possibly postponing the wedding. It weighed heavily on her mind and she wanted to hear Ganon’s perspective on it, though maybe right now was not the best time to do it. Not at their engagement ball, and not in front of the judging eyes of half the kingdom. 

“Ganon, there’s something I want to talk to you about later. Privately,” she added, side-eyeing the crowd. 

He looked a little worried, but took it all in stride. “Of course, my dear, whatever you want.” 

The song faded to an end, and they paused, gazing into each other’s eyes as the crowd cheered. She wished she could hear what he was thinking, but all she got was silence. Her attention was finally interrupted when she felt a large hand on her shoulder and heard her father’s booming voice. 

“Zelda, darling! You look so beautiful tonight!” he said proudly, and she smiled a little. “Anyway, there’s some diplomats who want to talk to you. They believe the Hyrule-Gerudo union to be very beneficial,” he explained, gesturing to a group of austere-looking diplomats. Zelda sighed. While she loved talking politics and negotiations, she absolutely hated it when it was in a party setting. She never got to really get too in-depth, she was wearing uncomfortable clothes, and she would’ve preferred to relax and have fun during a joyous event. 

“I’m sorry Ganon, you must excuse me. A princess’s job is never done, it seems,” she jested, rolling her eyes playfully. He chuckled and waved casually. 

“That’s fine, Zelda. I have a sneaking suspicion that soon I too will be pulled away by diplomats.” Just as he said that a royal messenger approached him, letting him know that his audience was wanted elsewhere.

That was how the majority of the night went, Zelda constantly being pulled between meetings with diplomats and chatting with high-ranking guests, barely getting a chance to breathe and sip some champagne in between. She was in desperate need of a break. Slipping behind a marble statue, she searched for the fastest and most discreet route to the palace gardens. Finding one, she dashed past multiple guests, shielded by the long waving banners hung from the balconies. 

She gulped in sweet, fresh air as she finally made it outside. Bending down, she took off her shoes that pinched her feet, carrying them in one hand while hiking up her skirts in the other, descending down the staircase into the gardens. Dark purple shadows reached across the grass and cobblestones, everything still and quiet; a stark contrast from the bright yellow lights and cacophonous sounds of the ballroom. She milled around slowly, loving the feeling of the cold grass under bare feet as she enjoyed the lonely company of the night. She could feel her head clearing up already. 

Suddenly she stopped, realizing she wasn't alone when she saw a figure before her. She was about to turn around and leave when she recognized that the figure was wearing a familiar Royal Guard’s uniform with dark blonde hair spilling out from underneath his cap. She hadn’t seen Link since he had escorted her to the ball. The Royal Guard typically tried to stay out of sight as much as possible during events like these, only coming out if someone caused a problem. But it wasn’t unusual to occasionally see one patrolling. It was a little odd that she hadn’t seen him at all, but she didn’t think too much into it. He was here now, seemingly oblivious to her presence as he stared up into the sky, gazing at the stars. She hesitated, wondering if she should even disturb him now or leave him be. 

Just as she had decided to leave him be, she turned and stepped on a twig, causing him to turn towards the sound. 

“Princess? Is everything all right?” he asked.  _ Well, there was no way out of this now.  _

“Yeah, just getting some fresh air. What about you? What are you doing out here?” she questioned, shifting the attention to him. 

“Same as you, just getting some air.”

They stood there awkwardly, the tension between them so thick it could be cut with a knife. Things had only been getting worse between them since that day in Castle Town. Link only spoke to her when he absolutely had to, and generally avoided eye contact whenever possible. He did his job of protecting her, nothing more, nothing less. Even though Zelda was constantly surrounded by people these days, she had never felt lonelier. Feeling a righteous anger bubbling up in her chest, she decided to finally do something about this situation. 

“Link, why are you ignoring me?” she asked bluntly. 

“Pardon?” he asked, confused. 

“Don’t play dumb, you know our relationship has been estranged ever since...since that night in the stable. I understand that you don’t want to risk losing me entirely, but I feel like I’ve lost you entirely, even though you’re always just five feet away from me. It’s not fair for you to treat me this way, Link!” she exclaimed, voice quivering as she held back the emotion that threatened to spill over. 

“Have you ever thought about how it feels for me?” he finally snapped. “To be so close to you, to know that you feel the same way I do, but having to watch everything I do and say in order to avoid suspicion? To have to limit every aspect of who I am? I’m never going to be considered good enough for you, and I just have to quietly accept that while I watch you marry the perfect prince. It hurts! I can’t be expected to act happy while I feel like my heart is actively breaking in two, Zelda!” he cried, voice cracking. 

“You actually believe that I don’t think about how it feels for you?” she scoffed, offended. “Of course I think about it! I think about you all the time, in every decision I make, during every hour of every day! I think about you all the time, even when I shouldn’t! How  _ dare  _ you accuse me of not thinking about you!”

Link was quiet at this, hanging his head in shame. 

“You’re right,” he said softly, voice rough. “I shouldn’t have accused you of not caring. This must be as hard for you as it is for me.”

“I appreciate your understanding,” she accepted. “I just...please, don’t shut me out. It’s hard enough knowing I can’t be with you, but it’s even harder losing you. Please, at least be my friend still. I miss you, I  _ need  _ you,” she croaked, sniffing as the tears started to escape. 

Link was silent, looking away and closing his eyes. She waited for him to respond, hoping that his silence wasn’t his answer. He took a deep breath. 

“I...I just…” he struggled to put words together, furrowing his eyebrows together in frustration. He switched to sign language, as he always did when his emotions were too big for his voice. 

_ < I don’t want to be just your friend. > _ Her breath hitched at this, feeling like her worst fears were confirmed.  _ < I want to be yours. > _

When he signed “yours,” he reached up and stroked her cheek with a gloved hand. She leaned into it, and gazed into his intense blue eyes.  _ Goddesses, even in the dark his eyes shined brightly, like they were their own light source.  _

He inched closer to her, drawn to her. He seemed to be fighting something inside himself, his breathing ragged and uneven as he tried to stop himself. Finally he let his inhibitions loose as he grabbed Zelda by the waist and pulled her in close, crashing his lips into hers. She held him tight, devoting her whole self to him in that moment, just as much as he devoted himself to her. It all felt so right, and relief washed over her as the tension between them seemed to finally dissolve. 

“Excuse me, uh, Link, you’re needed right now -” she heard a voice behind them shout. They jumped apart, and she saw Captain Garrett running up to them, face full of panic. 

“What do you think you’re doing, brat?” a different voice growled as a hand grabbed Link by the collar, yanking him away from Zelda. 

“Wait!” Zelda cried. 

“I told you, Your Highness, this bastard was taking advantage of your daughter,” Captain Norman accused, still holding Link by the collar of his uniform. His cap had been knocked off, his unruly blonde hair falling over his face. “And I have reason to believe that Captain Garrett was covering it up this whole time,” he continued, jabbing a finger into Captain Garrett’s chest. 

“Those are some quite serious accusations,” the King rumbled. 

“Father, that’s not at all what happened! I can explain!” she cried, desperate that he would actually listen to her for once. 

“Quiet, Zelda!” he roared. Everyone was silenced by that, waiting for the King to make a decision. Much quieter this time, he continued. 

“We cannot have a scandal on our hands. I don’t want anyone else to find out about this until we’ve made a judgement. We’ll hold a trial after the ball is over, with only the people that are currently here. You will all have your chance to convince me whether or not these traitorous accusations are true. For now, we’ll take the accused into holding while Zelda continues to be present at the ball,” he declared. 

“Father, wait, no, you can’t be serious -”

“Enough, Zelda. If a scandal like this got out we would completely ruin our relations with Gerudo, and we can’t afford that to happen. Everything will be sorted out in a few hours, and it will be handled quietly,” he explained gruffly. Captain Norman twisted Link’s arms behind his back, tying his wrists together with a length of rope, smiling smugly while he did the same to Captain Garrett. 

“Move it! You heard what the King said,” he ordered, pushing Link roughly. 

“Everything will be alright Link, I promise!” Zelda cried as her father ushered her away. He just looked at her sadly before hanging his head in defeat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh sorry for posting this so late, but at least its beefy!


	12. Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to split this chapter into two, so now there'll be 16 chapters! I've been busy so I didn't have as much time to add all the story beats I wanted in one chapter, but honestly it might work better for pacing to have this split into two. Anyways hope you like it!

Everyone stood in the Royal Throne Room silently, nervously waiting for the King to finally speak. Link’s eyes remained fixated on the marble floor at his feet, refusing to look anywhere else. Either way, he could still feel several pairs of eyes burning into him. He never wanted this much attention on him. 

_ He fucked up he fucked up he fucked up -  _

The neverending mantra in his head was suddenly interrupted by the King clearing his throat. Link finally tore his gaze from the ground to look at the King. His face was stern but otherwise unreadable. 

“Captain Norman, you may undo Captain Garrett’s and Sir Link’s bindings.”

“Yes Your Highness.”

He felt the pressure on his wrists loosen as the ropes slipped away. He flexed his fingers and rubbed his wrists, smoothing out the aches that had developed there in the past few hours. Glancing to his side he saw his father keeping his hands still at his sides, seemingly using all of his energy to glare at Captain Norman. Link had never seen any intense emotion on his father’s face before, nevertheless one so full of seething hatred. Link wondered why now was the time to finally pull out the emotions. 

_ Perhaps because his precious job is on the line... _

He pushed away that thought. Now was not the time for pettiness. 

“So,” the King started, somewhat unprofessionally, but it didn’t really matter considering the circumstances. 

“You’ve all been brought here on the accusation that Sir Link has been taking advantage of my daughter, the Princess, and that Captain Garrett has been using his position to cover it up. Is there anything else you would like to add to that before we begin, Captain Norman?”

“Yes, Your Highness. In the past hour it has come to our attention that traces of poison have been found in Prince Ganondorf’s food, which is what caused him to fall ill upon arrival at the castle. Seeing Sir Link’s...relationship...with the Princess, it would make sense that he would want the Prince gone. And seeing how the circumstances line up, I would also like to add attempted regicide to the accusations,” Captain Norman declared smugly. 

“Liar!” Zelda screamed, charging at Captain Norman. She had to be held back by Captain Garrett, though it looked like he very much wanted to set her loose on him. 

“Zelda! Please, remain civil. Speak when it’s your turn,” the King reprimanded. Zelda just glared at Captain Norman, eyes burning and teeth bared. 

“You have no foundation for such an accusation besides your own bias, you piece of shit!”

“Zelda!” the King reprimanded once again. 

“You know Ganon was sick prior to arriving at the castle, there’s no way Link could have possibly poisoned him. If there is any foul play it would most likely involve the Yiga, and that’s not what we’re here to discuss,” she spat. Even with his life on the line, Link couldn’t help but admire how logical Zelda remained, even when she was angry. She was very much the leader she didn’t believe she was. 

“I have to agree with my daughter on this, disregarding her...choice of language,” the King rumbled. “That accusation is circumstantial at best, and off topic from what we gathered here for. I’m going to assume that you have nothing else to add, and move on to the defendant. Sir Link, what do you have to say for yourself?” the King inquired, causing all eyes to turn to him. 

He nervously shuffled his feet and rubbed his arm at all the sudden attention. His throat was dry but he forced a voice through anyway. 

“Um, I...I...never took advantage of your daughter, Your Highness,” he croaked out, eyes flicking left and right as he avoided everyone’s gaze, which definitely only served to make him look more suspicious. 

“Ha! How can you lie so bold-facedly when we witnessed it happening with our own eyes?” Captain Norman interjected. 

“Captain Norman, please only speak when it’s your turn,” the King sighed. That would probably be a phrase repeated too many times that night.

Link remained quiet while he tried to form his argument, and Zelda took that as an opportunity to jump in.

“Saying he ‘took advantage’ of me insinuates that I did not consent to what happened. I very much did; in fact, I initiated it.”

“Zelda, it’s Sir Link’s turn to speak, please wait your turn.” 

  
  


“No Father, it’s time you listened to me. I am just as much a victim of this accusation too, and I won’t stand around while a bunch of men speak for me like I’m not here,” she argued vehemently. She went to stand by Link’s side, placing a hand on his arm, which caused him to jump slightly. She shot him a warm, comforting glance before continuing. 

“Link and I started off on a purely professional relationship; he was my knight and I was his charge. Quite honestly, I hated him at first. I hated that you appointed me a babysitter,” she said, giving her father a pointed look. His face remained neutral as he listened. 

“But then, I gave him a chance. I learned that he’s kind, caring, and he actually listens to what I have to say. Something you could learn a thing or two about.” She once again gave him a look. This time he shifted a little uncomfortably in his throne. 

“He’s saved my life on multiple occasions, constantly putting my well-being before his own safety. I feel comfortable enough around him to tell him anything, something I don’t experience with anyone … not even my betrothed,” she added quietly, looking down at the floor. Pausing to take in a deep breath, she looked back up at her father, her eyes set in a steely resolve. 

“So yeah, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Link. Fuckin sue me, I guess.” Several people gasped at her crude language. Link winced a bit, knowing that his fondness of cursing had definitely rubbed off on her. But he also couldn’t fight the grin that was creeping up on his face. It was nice seeing Zelda not afraid to confront her father while defending him, her fiery spirit that he had always known she possessed being on display for everyone else to see. If he wasn’t currently on trial for having relations with Zelda he definitely would’ve kissed her right now. 

“I was the one who tried to initiate a relationship, kissing him first. He was the one who exercised self-control and logic, saying that a relationship between us would be impossible due to his birth status.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to gauge his feelings to all of this. Link remained neutral. Captain Garrett, on the other hand, was visibly uncomfortable. 

“Besides what happened tonight, was that the only instance of you and Sir Link acting on your... _ affections _ ?” the King asked, grimacing with distaste as he said the word. Link tried not to take that too personally. The thought of Zelda loving him wasn’t  _ that  _ repulsive, was it?

Captain Norman scoffed. “Knowing his father’s history, you should make sure that the Princess hasn’t become tainted goods.”

Something snapped in Link as he suddenly charged at Captain Norman, tackling him to the ground. “How dare you speak of Zelda that way?!” he snarled, pulling back his fist, ready to beat the disgusting smirk off of the captain’s face. 

Captain Norman shielded his face as he pivoted his body to the side, reaching down and whipping a knife out of his boot. He brandished it at Link’s neck, the edge barely hovering over the rise and fall of his throat as he breathed heavily. Zelda screamed.

“Garrett, control your insolent whelp, or I will,” he barked.

“Don’t you dare touch my son!” Captain Garrett snapped, rushing over to the brawling men before he was physically held back by the vise-like grip of the King. 

“ENOUGH!” the King roared. Everyone froze, silent as the King slowly marched up to Link, yanking him off the captain while also seizing the knife from him. “I will NOT have you resorting to fighting like commoners at a tavern while in MY court. We will be CIVILIZED. Are we clear?” he ordered. The men mumbled their agreements as they stared at their feet in shame. “Good.” Then the King turned towards Zelda, face burning with a quiet fury.

“And you, Zelda. How could you let this happen? I raised you with more sense than this. You know your duty to the kingdom is to marry well, and I did most of the work for you by arranging a marriage with the Prince of Gerudo. But here you go, flinging yourself at the bastard son of a commoner, like a prostitute roaming the alleys of Castle Town. When will you finally grow up and use reason?” he spat. 

Zelda stared at him, mouth agape with surprise at the derisive comments he had leveled at her. He paused for a moment, thinking. “Perhaps I have given you too much freedom,” he muttered. Zelda sputtered in disbelief, and Link could sense that King was thinking of taking drastic measures. So he decided to take his own. 

“Zelda didn’t fling herself at me,” he piped up, voice still soft as he avoided the King’s penetrating gaze that was now focused on him. “I...there was another incident. About a year ago. At the masquerade ball. I was stricken by her beauty, and while performing my duty as a Royal Guard, I made a move on her. It was just a kiss on the cheek, but it was unprompted and not with the Princess’s consent,” he confessed. He hazarded a peek at the King, and saw a smoldering anger beneath his impassive expression. But he remained silent, waiting for Link to continue. 

“When I was appointed her personal knight, I should’ve resigned due to a conflict of interest. But I didn’t. I wanted to be close to the Princess. I was not completely professional with her, allowing us to grow close. And when she kissed me, I kissed her back. And when she asked to be only friends, I denied her, only wanting a romantic relationship with her. It’s not that your daughter had too much freedom, but that I did. I was the one who was trained to be responsible for another person, and I ignored my training and acted unprofessionally. This is my fault.” Link closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, knowing he had just signed his life away in order to protect the Princess’s freedom. But at least he was living up to his promise to her. 

“Link…” Zelda breathed, looking at him with such immense sorrow as she realized what he had done for her. 

The King cleared his throat. “Well, it seems that issue is settled. Now, there was a second accusation, that Captain Garrett knew what was happening and used his position to cover it up in order to protect his son. Captain Garrett, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“I plead guilty,” he replied swiftly, without even pausing to think of an excuse. Everyone was taken aback, not expecting him to confess so readily. Was he hoping to get a lighter sentence by just pleading guilty? It didn’t make sense for the esteemed tactician to even try to make an argument for himself. 

“I witnessed Sir Link kissing the Princess, and I refused to report it because I knew it would negatively affect him. I also worked to prevent anyone else from finding out, going so far as to dismiss guards from certain posts to prevent them from being caught. I also failed to notify the King when Sir Link and Princess Zelda would return to the castle from their excursions, so that they could have more free time together. And tonight I tried to prevent the King from seeing what happened, but I wasn’t fast enough,” he said dryly, like he wasn’t just confessing high treason. So any chance of him getting a lighter sentence was now out the window. What in the world was he trying to do?

“Dad…?” Link rasped, not sure how to react to this confession. He wasn’t aware that his father had gone through such lengths to prevent him from getting caught. How was he supposed to feel about that? It was both extremely thoughtful and very,  _ very  _ stupid of him to do. Two things that weren’t common for Captain Garrett. 

Captain Garrett turned towards Link, his gaze softening and his eyes almost...desperate? Pleading? Concerned? It was impossible to get a read on him. He placed firm hands on his shoulders as he looked into his son’s eyes with a deep sincerity. 

“Link, I...everytime I look at you, and see that scar on your face, I’m reminded of how I’ve failed you as a father. I was supposed to protect you, and I failed,” his voice cracked, and...were those tears forming in his eyes? What was happening right now? Vulnerability didn’t exist in his father’s language, but here he was, opening himself up to his son for the first time he could remember. 

“I-I cared more about my job and reputation than I did about my own kid. I wanted to make it up to you, but how could I possibly do that when my negligence caused you to be scarred? So I only made things worse by distancing myself from you. But I won’t do that anymore. I promise to stand by you from now on, even if it hurts me in the process. You are my son, and I will do anything in my power to protect you.”

Link just stared back at him, processing everything he said to him. For years, all he wanted was his father to love him and be proud of him. He had accepted that he was never going to be anything more than a disappointment to him, and he could live with that. But now, here he was, actually apologizing for his failures as a father and promising to do better.  _ Perhaps it was easy to make promises like that when he knew they were going to be executed anyway.  _

“Well, I think I’ve made a decision. I would like to speak to Sir Link and Captain Garrett privately,” the King announced. “Zelda, Captain Norman, would you please leave the room while I deliver their sentence?”

“Whatever you have to say to Link you can say to me,” Zelda said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It’s fine, Zel. I think I would prefer to hear this alone anyways,” he reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. Her eyes flicked from his hand up to his face, and her hard expression melted as she accepted defeat. 

“Okay,” she mumbled, turning to leave. She roughly grabbed Captain Norman’s sleeve and yanked him towards the door, pushing him out as he protested. She gave one last look to Link as she paused at the doorway, and he smiled softly at her. Sighing, she closed the door with a soft click. 

Link took a deep breath and turned to face the King and his inevitable fate. 

\----------------

Zelda paced nervously in front of the door, straining to hear anything from inside the throne room. All she could hear was unintelligible murmurs. 

“Goddess damnit, why is this taking so long?” she cursed. Captain Norman shrugged. 

“Who knows? You’d think it wouldn’t take long to say that they’re getting executed.”

“Oh shut up,” she groaned. Of all the people she had to be stuck with, it had to be this insufferable prick. 

Her ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps and she spun around just in time to see Link pushing open the heavy door. He and Captain Garrett were both silent and avoiding eye contact as they exited the throne room. 

“So is it going to be a public or private execution?” Captain Norman jeered. 

“Fuck off, Norman,” was all Captain Garrett said as he brushed past them, heading silently down the hall. Captain Norman just shrugged and left, figuring he would find out the decision soon enough. Word spread fast in the castle. 

Zelda turned to Link, eyes full of concern. “What was his decision?” she asked softly. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the hallway, and she jogged a bit to catch up with him and match his stride. 

“You’re...are you -”

“No, I’m not getting executed.”

“Oh thank the goddesses,” she sighed in relief. His expression remained impassive. Shouldn’t he be celebrating? He wasn’t going to die after all! Unless...there was somehow a punishment worse than death?

“I’m not getting executed,” he repeated, as if to remind himself. “The King said that because of our excellent service to the Crown until now, he would not feel right having us killed. Especially since I’ve saved your life on multiple occasions,” he said flatly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She listened patiently. He took a deep breath before continuing. 

“Instead, he finds it more fitting that we are stripped of our titles and decommissioned, and that we leave the castle grounds immediately and permanently. He said that he was being lenient on us due to our service, but if we ever step foot on castle grounds again, we will actually be executed that time. The same thing will happen to me if I ever try to contact you again,” he explained quietly, staring at the ground the whole time. 

“Oh.”

They both walked in silence, understanding the actual weight of the sentencing. He would get to live, but he would have to live without her. 

“I’m sorry,” he rasped. 

“What do you mean  _ you’re  _ sorry? If anything _ I  _ should be the one apologizing!” she exclaimed. 

“I’m sorry I can’t protect you anymore,” he clarified. 

“You know I don’t care about that, I can protect myself just fine.” She was quiet for a moment, trying to imagine a life without Link. She had spent most of her life not even knowing that he existed, but now it was nearly impossible to picture herself without him. He was just...always there. Having him leave her life completely felt like a part of herself was being chopped off. 

They stepped out onto a balcony, the brisk wind chilling their faces and blowing their hair every which way. Link leaned over the railing, gazing out at the sprawling castle grounds softly illuminated by various gas lamps and the silver light of the moon. The corners of his lips pulled into a slight frown. 

“I guess this is the last time I’m going to see this view.”

“It’s overrated anyway,” Zelda tried to reassure half-heartedly, poking his arm. He didn’t react, still lost in thought. 

“I should take a moment to say goodbye to Epona before I leave.”

“You can’t take her with you?”

“No, she doesn’t belong to me. She’s property of the military.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” 

“Yeah.”

She placed a warm hand on top of his, and he shifted to lace his fingers with hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze, and laid her head on his shoulder. 

“I’m going to miss you,” she whispered. 

“I’m going to miss you too,” he whispered back to her. He lifted their intertwined hands to his lips, softly kissing the back of her hand. His bright blue eyes gazed into her own, overflowing with a tender sadness. 

“You will always be in my heart,” he murmured. 

“And you in mine.” She reached over to cup his cheek. He subconsciously leaned into her touch. “I love you, Link. I always will.”

She captured his lips in hers, but unlike their previous kisses which had been passionate and full of want, this was soft and resigned. It was nothing short of a goodbye. 

As they pulled apart they heard a shattering noise, and Link’s hand flew to the hilt of his sword as he stepped back into the hallway to find the source of the noise. His eyes scanned every shadow and his ears twitched, but he couldn’t find anything. Straightening up, he looked back at Zelda and signed that everything was all clear. As she joined his side he rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat, looking away awkwardly. 

“I-I should start gathering my things. My father’s probably waiting for me at the barracks.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

He started to leave, but after a few feet he stopped and turned to face her. He looked like he wanted to say something, eyes searching hers as if she could provide him with the words he was looking for. Unable to find the right words, or perhaps unable to summon the courage to speak them, Link just curtly nodded and turned around, striding briskly down the hallway. This time he did not look back. 

Zelda fixated her stare on the weaving of the carpet below her feet, wringing her hands and furrowing her brow. She bit her bottom lip, trying to feel something other than the dull ache of her heart. 

_ Looks like she wasn’t the only one bad at goodbyes.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, don't we love complicated father/son relationships? (Honestly after I finish this fic I might do a collection exploring their relationship more, let me know if you'd be interested in reading that!)

**Author's Note:**

> I just randomly added Hugh on the fly, but now he’s my favorite OC lol. Probably gonna try to add more of him, his interactions with Zelda are fun to write (and Zelda deserves a friend her age!)


End file.
